Warriors: The Formation of Cragclan
by LoopyKazooie
Summary: Takes place directly after The Last Hope. The Clans will never be the same once medicine cats learn that for everyone to survive, they must change and recruit new blood. With dangers lurking just outside the borders, and threats inside the Clans. More and more cats tire of the old ways, and one by one, they leave. Will The Clans survive? Or will they fall apart?
1. Allegiances

**THUNDERCLAN**

 **Leader:** **Bramblestar** \- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

 **Deputy:** **Squirrelflight** \- dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

 **Medicine Cats:** **Leafpool -** light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes  
 **Jayfeather** (gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes)

 **Warriors:** (toms and she-cats without kits)  
 **Dustpelt** \- dark brown tabby tom  
 **Brackenfur** \- golden brown tabby tom  
 **Millie** \- striped gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes  
 **Apprentice: Molepaw**  
 **Thornclaw** \- golden brown tabby tom  
 **Spiderleg** \- black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes  
 **Birchfall** \- light brown tabby tom  
 **Whitewing** \- white she-cat with green eyes  
 **Berrynose** \- cream-colored tom  
 **Hazeltail** \- small gray-and-white she-cat  
 **Mousewhisker** \- gray-and-white tom  
 **Apprentice: Seedpaw**  
 **Poppyfrost** \- tortoiseshell she-cat  
 **Cinderheart** \- gray tabby she-cat  
 **Lionblaze** \- golden tabby tom with amber eyes  
 **Foxleap** \- reddish tabby tom with green eyes  
 **Icecloud** – pretty white she-cat with blue eyes  
 **Toadstep** \- black-and-white tom  
 **Apprentice: Lilypaw**  
 **Rosepetal** – long legged dark cream she-cat  
 **Briarlight** \- dark brown she-cat  
 **Blossomfall** \- tortoiseshell and white she-cat  
 **Bumblestripe** \- very pale gray tom with black stripes  
 **Dovewing** \- pale gray she-cat with blue eyes  
 **Ivypool** \- silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

 **Apprentices:** **(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)**  
 **Molepaw** \- brown-and-cream tom  
 **Seedpaw** \- pale ginger she-cat with small black flecks  
 **Lilypaw** \- gray and gold she-kit with green eyes

 **Queens: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)**

 **Daisy** \- elderly cream long-furred she-cat. Expecting Thornclaw's kits.  
 **Brightheart** \- white she-cat with ginger patches (mother to **Snowkit,** a white tom with amber eyes, **Amberkit,** a gray she-cat with white paws, a white muzzle, a white right ear, and amber eyes, and **Dewkit** , a gray tom with amber eyes.

 **Elders:** **(former warriors and queens, now retired)**

 **Purdy** – very old plump tabby former loner with a gray muzzle  
 **Graystripe** \- long-haired gray tom  
 **Sandstorm** \- pale ginger she-cat with green eyes  
 **Cloudtail** – long furred white tom with blue eyes. Retired due to injuries

 **SHADOWCLAN**

 **Leader:** **Blackstar** \- large white tom with jet-black paws

 **Deputy: Rowanclaw** \- ginger she-cat

 **Medicine Cat:** **Littlecloud –** kitten sized light brown tabby tom

 **Smokefoot** \- black tom with amber eyes  
 **Marshstep** – mottled dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.  
 **Crowfrost** \- black-and-white tom  
 **Ratscar** \- brown tom with long scar across his back  
 **Apprentice, Stoatpaw**  
 **Tawnypelt** \- tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes  
 **Shrewfoot** \- gray she-cat with black feet  
 **Tigerheart** \- dark brown tabby tom amber eyes  
 **Pinenose** \- black she-cat  
 **Ferretclaw -** cream-and-gray tom

 **Sparrowtail** – large brown tabby tom  
 **Mistcloud** – spiky-furred, pale gray she-cat  
 **Mousedapple** – Calico silver tabby with blue dichoric eyes  
 **Apprentice, Cloudpaw**  
 **Loudstorm** – white she-cat with yellow patches, blue eyes  
 **Rockheart –** Round gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

 **Apprentices:  
Cloudpaw – **White tom with a gray patch on chest, amber eyes **  
Stoatpaw –** ginger tom

 **Queens:**  
 **Ivytail -** black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat, (mother to Spiderkit black and gray tabby with an extra nose).

 **Elders:**  
 **Tallpoppy** \- long-legged light brown tabby she-cat  
 **Oakfur** \- small brown tom  
 **Snaketail -** dark brown tom with tabby-striped tail  
 **Kinkfur -** tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles

 **WINDCLAN**

 **Leader: Onestar** – mottled brown tabby tom with one thick, white whisker

 **Deputy: Crowfeather** – skinny dark gray tom with blue eyes  
 **Apprentice: Featherpaw**

 **Medicine Cat:** **Kestrelflight** \- mottled gray tom

 **Warriors:**  
 **Owlwhisker** \- light brown tabby tom  
 **Gorsetail** \- very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes  
 **Weaselfur -** ginger tom with white paws

 **Apprentice: Liazrdpaw**

 **Harespring** \- brown-and-white tom

 **Heathertail** \- pale brown she0cat with blue eyes.

 **Apprentice: Finchpaw  
**

 **Emberfoot -** gray tom with two dark paws  
 **Sunstrike** \- tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead  
 **Furzepelt -** gray-and-white she-cat  
 **Boulderfur -** large pale gray tom  
 **Crouchfoot –** brown tom

 **Palescar-** furless tom with a long scar on his flank.

 **Apprentice: Applepaw**

 **Apprentices:**  
 **Featherpaw -** gray tabby she-cat  
 **Lizardpaw –** black tabby tom  
 **Applepaw** – pale ginger she cat with hazel eyes

 **Queens**

 **Larksong** \- gray she-cat. (mother to Finchkit pale brown tom with black ears, yellow eyes. and Hailkit a gray-and-white tabby tom with blue eyes. And Featherkit, a gray tom.)  
 **Whitetail -** small white she-cat,

 **Heathertail -** light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes, expecting Breezepelts kits.  
 **Daisyfield –** Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes and a scarred tail.

 **Elders:**  
 **Tornear -** tabby tom  
 **Ashfoot -** gray she-cat with one front paw. Retired due to injuries  
 **Whiskernose -** light brown tom, retired early due to battle injuries

 **RIVERCLAN**

 **Leader: Mistystar** \- blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes  
 **Deputy: Reedwhisker** \- black tom with small neat ears, gray eyes  
 **Medicine Cat: Mothwing -** dappled golden she-cat  
 **Apprentice, Willowshine** (gray tabby she-cat)

 **Warriors:**  
 **Mintfur** \- light gray tabby tom  
 **Icewing** \- white she-cat with blue eyes  
 **Minnowtail** – pretty dark gray she-cat with soft fur

 **Pebblefoot -** mottled gray tom  
 **Mallowtail** \- light brown tabby tom  
 **Robinwing** \- tortoiseshell-and-white tom  
 **Petalfur** \- gray-and-white she-cat  
 **Rushtail -** light brown tabby tom  
 **Apprentice, Heronpaw**  
 **Troutstream -** pale gray tabby she-cat  
 **Hollowflight -** dark brown tabby tom  
 **Honeypelt -** A golden-ginger tabby she-cat with a white belly and paws, a white tipped tail and blue eyes  
 **Littlefeather -** A very small silver tabby with darker stripes, a fluffy white belly a white mark on his face, and blue eyes  
 **Silversnow -** a fluffy silver she-cat with a torn left ear and missing right amber eye  
 **Spottedcloud** \- a light grey she-cat with lighter grey splotches on her pelt, blue eyes. Former kittypet.

 **Apprentices:  
**

 **Heronpaw** _-_ black-and-white tom with long legs

 **Queens:**  
 **Duskfur** \- brown tabby she-cat (mother to Podkit, a tom with white short fur and a bent tail)  
 **Mosspelt -** tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes (mother to Loudkit pale brown tom with stumpy legs, Salmonkit tiny sickly pale grey kit)

 **Elders:**  
 **Pouncetail -** ginger-and-white tom  
 **Graymist** \- pale gray tabby she-cat  
 **Sneezecloud** – gray and white tom. Retired due to incurable allergies.

 **CATS OUTSIDE OF THE CLANS**

 **Smoky** \- elderly gray-and-white tom who lives in a barn at the Horseplace  
 **Coriander** – tortoiseshell she cat with blue eyes  
 **Nightcloud** \- black she-cat with green eyes. Formerly of Windclan  
 **Breezepelt** – skinny, muscular black tom with amber eyes. Formerly of Windclan

 **Vernon -** Sandy coloured tom with unblinking yellow eyes

 **Yail -** white and brown tabby tom

 **Patches** \- Black and white tom  
 **Lee** – Skinny black tom with short fur. Kittypet.  
 **Martin** – Heavy black tabby tom with lighter belly. Kittypet  
 **Flopsy** – light brown tabby. Kittypet  
 **Honey** – cream-and-white tabby she-cat with leaf green eyes  
 **Goose** – very pale gray tom with one eye  
 **Tiara** – Cream and brown Siamese she-cat with blue eyes. Kittypet  
 **Rick** – pale mottled brown coloured tabby  
 **Spotty** – small elderly gray she-cat with white flecks.  
 **Hail** \- blue/gray tom with icy blue eyes

 **OTHER ANIMALS**

 **Midnight -** a star-gazing badger who lives by the sea  
 **Sharpfang** – Small tawny gray lynx with yellow eyes. Lives in the mountains


	2. Chapter 1 - Icecloud

**Directly After the Dark Forest Battle.**

Icecloud stared down at her mother's gray flecked coat in horror. Slowly she dragged her eyes to her father, Dustpelt, who refused to let any cat help him arrange her body. She shook herself, and gently nudged her father.

"You need to see Leafpool." she prompted, carefully straightening Ferncloud's feather soft tail, taking care to comb out a knot in her fur.

Dustpelt rounded on his daughter, his amber eyes shining bright with grief and anger.

"I'll never leave Ferncloud's side again." he snarled, slamming his large paws onto the ground, his claws leaving score marks in the dirt. "I should have been with her. She should never have been left to fight Brokentail alone. She was nothing but a scrap of prey for him."

Icecloud glared at him with her blue eyes, her anger visible in the normally calm she-cats face. "My mother gave her life to save the Nursery. She died the death of a warrior. Don't take that away from her!" she held her father's furious amber gaze, as Spiderleg limped forward, careful to position himself on his sister's side in case a fight sprang out.

"I'm sure Leafpool can come see you while your here." his usually harsh, gravelly voice, sounded tired, but surprisingly patient as he spoke to his father. "We should all be with her now. Birchfall has taken Foxleap to the medicine cat den, then he and Leafpool will join us."

"Foxleap!" Icecloud whipped her head around to stare at the medicine cat den, she could see her brother's dark ginger tail tip just barely in the dark. " _I hope he's not hurt too badly, what would I do without my twin?"_ she thought to herself, she slowly turned to face her family again, before noticing Ivypool and Lionblaze grieving over Hollyleaf's still, dark body. " _I hope I never find out."_ she added silently, twitching her tail anxiously. She was vaguely aware of Brambleclaw's voice somewhere near her, talking to Dovewing as Jayfeather walked past her before she tuned out and looked back at her father's gaunt frame.

Squirrelflights tired voice spoke from above them, catching her by surprise. "Before we must do anything else, we must see to our wounds. Check yourself carefully then go to the medicine cat den if you are hurt." her voice was monotone, like the life had been sucked out of the usually fiery she-cat. "The time is past for heroes." she meowed "The Clan needs you to be strong now. So if you have any injuries at all, get them treated." she stared right at Dustpelt. "That means you too." she finished.

"Come on." Spiderleg urged, gently nudging his father in the direction of the medicine cat den. Icecloud followed slowly behind, but glared at Birchfall as she approached the den, she unsheathed her claws as she approached, her pelt tingling.

" _That Dark Forest traitor, if he does anything to my brother I'll-"_ she shook her head, embarrassed with herself. " _No, he's my brother too. No matter what, family should stay together. Ferncloud would want that."_

Foxleap's eyes were closed, and his breathing was ragged. Icecloud stared at him, horrified. His fur was plastered to his lithe frame, dried blood all over his face. Beside him, Leafpool and Spiderleg were crushing leaves together. Dustpelt just stared blankly ahead, not seeming to acknowledge anything around him. Leafpool stopped crushing leaves, and touched her tail gently to Dustpelt's flank.

"Help me apply this. Please." The light brown tabby begged Dustpelt. "You've lost your mate, don't let yourself lose your son too."

Those words seemed to stir the dark tabby somewhat, and he helped press the dressing against his sons cut stomach. Foxleaps eyes flickered open, and Icecloud heard him quietly groan and thank them, before laying still once more.

"He will survive… Won't he?" Icecloud asked, stepping forward and started to groom her brother's swollen face. Leafpool looked at her, but didn't meet her eyes.

"He's in Starclans paws now. Only they cou-"

"Sorreltail! Don't leave me! Please, please I _need_ you!" Brackenfurs heartbroken wail sounded from inside the Nursery, making them all jump. Leafpool murmured softly under her breath, "Starclan, please have mercy. First my daughter, then my father, now my best friend?"

Dovewing stumbled into the den, looking grief-stricken. Leafpool swallowed nervously, before speaking up.

"Are you hurt, Dovewing? Can it wait?" her amber eyes huge with distress and grief as Icecloud looked at her.

" _She already knows._ " Icecloud bowed her head, as Dovewing spoke next.

"Sorreltail died."

Leafpool leapt to her paws, looking mortified. "What?! She- she didn't tell me she was hurt!" she wailed

"She didn't tell anyone. I think all she wanted, was to be with her kits."

The medicine cat's shoulders slumped, and Leafpool lurched dangerously close to the ground, as if her paws could no longer support her weight. But she steadied herself, before turning back to Foxleap. "There is nothing I can do for her now. Let me finish treating Foxleap, then I'll bring some herbs and cobwebs to treat you, or anyone who I haven't seen yet."

Dovewing bowed her head, before turning to leave. Leafpool let out a sigh, before looking back at Icecloud, her brothers and her father.

"You should all go too, I will see to your son. You all must get ready for the vigil."

Dustpelt stumbled back over to Ferncloud's body, and continued to lap at his mates' small, gray face. When Icecloud strained her ears, she heard him murmur "Don't worry, my sweet. I'll make sure our kits stay safe." Icecloud approached her father, and gently rubbed faces with him, before sitting down comfortably, and bowing her head in a silent vigil.

" _If this is our Victory, I hate to know what our loss would have been like._ " she thought. She looked around at the other bodies. Firestar, the leader of Thunderclan looked far smaller than he had been when alive. His tongue lolling out of his mouth slightly. Icecloud watched a heartbroken Sandstorm slowly close his eyes with the gentle touch of her paws.

Nearby was the body of Hollyleaf. Ivypool was still standing over her, grooming the blood from her dark pelt. Icecloud remembered how the dark she-cat had leapt out, saving Ivypool's life from the evil Dark Forest cat, Hawkfrost. She was relieved Brambleclaw had slain him, and his spirit had faded away forever.

She closed her eyes again, as she heard the bracken rustle and the dirt being moved as Cinderheart and Brackenfur prepared Sorreltail for the vigil next to her family.

Icecloud opened her eyes as she heard the rustle of something near her. Purdy had gotten to his paws, the old cat looked older and frailer than ever before. "Our vigil is over." he turned his head slowly to look at his Clan mates before speaking again. "These cats must be laid in the ground, but I will need help."

To Iceclouds disgust, Molepaw started to protest, but Purdy rounded on him quickly, his ears flattened to his graying head. "I am the only Elder left. I cannot bury them alone. I need your help."

Icecloud got to her paws, and arched her back in a stretch, Spiderleg and Dustpelt did similar, before gently grabbing a hold of Ferncloud and starting to lift her, but had to lower her again, panting heavily. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Birchfall approach. With a growl, Dustpelt let go of Ferncloud's scruff, and stepped over her body, blocking Ferncloud from Birchfalls view.

"We can manage Birchfall."

Birchfall looked vaguely confused, and stepped forward uncertainly. "She was my mother. I want to help carry her on her last journey."

Dustpelt growled, and stepped forward until he was face-to-face with his son. Icecloud barely heard the comment that came out next.

"You gave up that right when you betrayed your Clan."

Without another word, Dustplt turned away and the two toms picked Fernclouds body and carried her along. Icecloud followed closely behind, keeping her mother's feather-like tail draped over her shoulder.

She vaguely noticed Thornclaw, Blossomfall, and Mousewhisker had not been allowed to help either.

" _The other Warriors are mad, and rightfully so."_ she mused silently _. "But alienating them will only make them angry, and possibly betray us again."_

The eventually made it to the oldest woods in Thundercan territory. Dustpelt and Spiderleg lowered Ferncloud down, and waited as Leafpool started to burial ceremony. She noticed Ivypool and Dovewing whispering to each other as Leafpool spoke, and her ear twitched in annoyance.

" _What if Whitewing had died, would you be muttering to each other then? Disrespectful."_

She watched as Leafpool finished speaking, and lowered her muzzle to each deceased cats head. Stopping the longest at Hollyleaf, before leaning against Squirrelflight and Sandstorm, the three she-cats eyes were raw with grief.

Squirrelflight lifted her head up, and managed to choke out. "Only we know the debt we owe these cats. It is up to each of us to make sure their deaths were not in vain." she gently touched her father's cheek with her white paw. "Sleep well, my father" her voice a hoarse whisper.

Purdy spoke up uncertainly, explaining how to dig a grave. "… Leave it an' dig another further up the slope" he finished. Sandstorm dipped her head. Icecloud realised it was to stop the bodies from being dug up near the base of the hill.

"Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us Purdy, is there anything else?"

"Well, Mousefur used to like watchin' the sun go down over the lake. She said it looked like the water was on fire." his voice shook, and he swallowed before speaking again. "So I was goin' to bury her where she'd still get a good view. P'raps over there" he gestured to a grassy mound with a line of sight to the lake.

"I know she's not really here, but it feels like the right place for her."

Sandstorm ran her tail down his spine gently, "That's a lovely idea Purdy. Of course we can do that."

Shortly after silence fell among the group, as they started digging. Occasionally Purdy instructed others to dig graves wider, but for the most part the forest was silent. Icecloud found it very unsettling. She blinked away the moisture gathering under her eyes, and ignored the pain of her claws breaking as she dug stones and roots out of the way. Eventually she sat on her haunches, and started to clear away the chunks of dirt and stone that were stuck to her paws, enabling her to dig well.

"Ow!" Icecloud heard Lionblaze explain in surprise, making her jump. Followed by some cursing. She looked over curiously at her old crush as she heard Cinderheart whispering to Dovewing.

"He was unable to be hurt by anything… Right?" she stared in confusion, as Lionblaze shrugged off Cinderheart and Dovewing's concern and continued digging.

At last all five cats had been buried, Purdy sniffed the ground closely. "We don't want to attract anything that might be hungry." Seeming satisfied, he flicked his skinny tail and started to slowly trail away.

Everyone tailed wordlessly back to the hollow, not even stopping to eat from the fresh-kill pile as they all went in separate directions. Icecloud looked up in time to see Dustpelt stalk past Birchfall like he wasn't there.

" _I'll need to speak to him about that, Ferncloud wouldn't have wanted this._ " She padded up to Dustpelt, and prodded him gently with her paw. "Father, I don-" Before she could finish her thought, Bramblestar stalked back into camp. His glossy fur shining in the sunlight. Jayfeather followed behind, looking slightly less grumpy than usual. Squirrelflight padded up to her mate, a faint purr coming from her throat. "Welcome back." she dipped her head respectfully. Bramblestar smiled at her, before noticing Birchfall and the others sat on their own.

"What's going on? Haven't you been burying the others today?"

Squirrelflight padded closer to him, and the two started walking together. Icecloud saw Dovewing strain her ears, as if trying to listen in. Only to have Whitewing approach her and tell her off. "Ha! Good." she mewed out loud, a sly grin stretching her lips. Before remembering. "Oh yes, Dustpelt?" she began, before turning her head, only to see the dark tabby push his way into the Warriors den. Sighing, she followed suit, watching her father curl up to sleep, ignoring the important gathering going on outside. Icecloud tilted her ears back, listening to Brambleclaw announcing his trip to the Moonpool, but tiredly climbed into her own nest, instantly feeling sleep overcome her weary bones.

Icecloud opened her eyes. It was dark all around her, she could barely make out anything around her. "Hello?" she asked uncertainly, before noticing what looked like the vague outline of a cat against the darkness. Icecloud approached the figure, calling out softly to the cat. "Can you help me?" as she got closer, the silhouette of the cat become a little brighter, and as the cat turned to look at her, Icecloud knew who it was.

"Ferncloud?" she asked hoarsely. The gray mottled tabby looked horrific, her usually well groomed fur dull and matted, her green eye were crazed and unfocused. Without warning she leapt at her daughter, barrelling her over. Icecloud let out a cry of fear, and stared at her mother above her, who's neck wound was stretched open and visible, blood dripping down on Icecloud's pure white pelt, turning it red.

"Why didn't you save me?!" she screeched into the silence, making Icecloud's ears ring. "You could have, but you were too slow! You were weak!" the screech turned into a chant, over and over, until Icecloud screamed in horror.

And just like that, it was over. Icecloud stared around her in a panic, closing her mouth hurriedly as she heard some warriors groan and complain. She looked at Lionblaze, who glared at her. "Sorry, so sorry. I had a nightmare." she blurted out. But Lionblaze just snorted and went back to sleep.

" _What did I ever see in him again?_ she wondered. _"Dodged a strike from that furball at least."_

As she looked around the darkened den, she noticed Dustpelt was not there, nor Cloudtail. " _Moonhigh patrol maybe?"_

Knowing she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, she pushed her way out of the den, and padded quietly over to the medicine cat den. Jayfeather was awake, staring up at the Silverpelt above them. In the night light, it seemed like the medicine cat could truly see the stars above him. He didn't look at her, but quietly murmured

"Foxleap is recovering well, we've given him some catnip, so he is a little bit delirious. He's got a fever though, and if he can fight that, then I think his battle against Starclan will be over, and he will pull through."

"Thanks Jayfeather." she dipped her head to him, then felt her pelt warm in embarrassment. " _He can't see me do that, what's the point? Oh no wait, he can read thoughts can't he? He's probably amused at what a furball I am!"_ However despite this, Jayfeather didn't seem to react, only twitching his ear.

"Go out hunting if you can't sleep, you can't stay here. Leafpool and Briarlight are resting." the blind tabby got to his paws, and turned to go back into his net. "I'll watch over Foxleap until morning. Just make sure you catch him something good, Catmint really makes you hungry."

Wordlessly she padded away, and out the tunnel. She nodded to Spiderleg who was on watch. "Can't sleep either eh? Don't worry, Foxleap will be back to being an obnoxious fur ball before you know it!" he mewed, his gravelly voice calming the she-cat. "Oh can you catch me a mouse? I'm starved." Icecloud let out a purr of amusement.

"Some things never change." she mewed, as she pushed her way through the brambles and into the forest. "I won't go too far, in case some Dark Forest creep is lurking."

After having successfully hunted all night, with the sun just starting to rise, Icecloud padded her way back to camp. In her jaws was a fat juicy rabbit. As well as two mice she was nudging back with her paws, not wanting to make two trips.

Smiling, she shoved a mouse in front of Spiderleg, before wordlessly pushing her way through the bramble tunnel and flinging the other mouse on the fresh-kill pile, before lugging the rabbit towards the medicine cat den.

To her surprise as she approached, Foxleap was awake. Staring around wildly, his green eyes unfocused. " _Oh yeah, the catnip._ " she thought. She carefully approached him and dropped the rabbit near him. "Hey Foxleap, you OK? I caught this for you." the reddish tabby stared at her, his eyes blurry.

"Dark forest! No, your not… Icecloud it's you! oh man, you won't believe what I saw." Icecloud smiled and curled her tail over her paws, and sat and listened to the eventful dream Foxleap had. Though her nightmare still rang quietly in her ears.

" _ **You were too slow! You were weak!"**_

 _Was her death really my fault?_ She wondered with a pang of regret, but she tried to ignore it while she let Foxleap blabber on. High as a bird soaring through the sky.

" _Maybe it was."_


	3. Chapter 2 - Cloudtail

**Directly after the Dark Forest Battle.**

Cloudtail let out a tired groan, and opened his eyes. His pelt was soaked so badly with blood, he looked crimson in colouration. He could hear the screeches of battle all around him, but he knew another fight in this condition, would be his last. Slowly he pushed himself up, let out a hiss of pain as he tried to put weight on his paws. He lurched forward dangerously, nearly collapsing. But he forced himself to steady, slowly over time.

"I'm old, but I'm not dying just yet." he hissed under his breath, forcing himself to take a step, then another. Slowly he began to lurch unsteadily back to his home. To his mate and… "Oh fox-dung, my kits! If I find a single Dark Forest cat in the camp I swear on the apparently real Starclan I will snap their necks."

Limping, finally Cloudtail made it back to camp, to see a ring of cats. In the middle were two fighting, one bright ginger, clearly his uncle Firestar the other a giant dark tabby. Cloudtail's lips drew back into a snarl as he recognized that striped pelt. _Tigerstar!_

Firestar seemed to be losing the fight, having already sustained some significant wounds from the battle. He just barely dodged as Tigerstar lunged for his throat. Sandstorm tried to dart forward to help, only for Sorreltail to hold her back. However Tigerstar had left himself open from his lunge, and failed to draw back in time as Firestar ducked down low, and darted forward, biting into the tabbies throat. Tigerstar let out a horrific gurgle, and tried to yank himself free, but Firestar clung on, ripping his throat open more. Tigerstar tried to fight him off, but unable to cope with the wound, he collapsed and went still, before starting to fade away. The Clan started to cheer, only to freeze as Firestar staggered forward unsteadily.

 _ **KRA-BOOM!**_

Lightning struck a nearby tree, scaring the clan mates around him, and smoke began to billow out as the fire sparked all around the ginger tom. Firestar was quickly submerged by the billowing smoke, however the rain quickly started to fall, quenching the fire almost instantly. However it also cleared the smoke away, showing Firestar lay there still. Cloudtail's heart felt like it stopped beating in his chest.

"No, he can't be dead…" he breathed.

Sandstorm ran over to him, letting out a wail, confirming everyone's fears. Cloudtail staggered forward, pushing his way through his Clan. Ignoring the searing pain from his wounds and the blood that was spilling from him, staining the dirt.

" _The Clan needs me right now."_ he thought, as he bleakly stared around the clearing.

Cloudtail sat back on his haunches, his ears instantly angling towards the nursery as he heard his kits and mate.

"Is it safe to come out now?" Dewkit called.

"Have those dead cats gone yet? They were bad!" Amberkit added, chatty as ever.

"Ow! Dewkit's treading on me!" Snowkit wailed over his siblings. He then heard twigs breaking and the sound of scuffling as Dewkit and Snowkit started fighting each other.

"Wait there! You can come out soon, I promise." Brightheart called to her kits as she briefly emerged from the Nursery. Her usually pale scarred face, was pinkish red from the strain and stress. But still, she looked beautiful as ever though Cloudtail. His mate turned to Brackenfur, who was calling out asking if anyone saw Sorreltail.

"I saw Sorreltail go into the nursery. You should try there first." she meowed.

"Thanks." Brackenfur replied. Cloudtail watched his golden brown pelt disappear through the brambles. He noticed Dovewing staring at the Nursery, and wondered what she could hear. Brightheart slowly dragged her gaze around the clearing, twitching her torn battered ear at Cloudtail when she noticed him watching her. She stopped and stared at the still body of Hollyleaf, and opened her mouth to speak.

" _No_."

Brackenfur's single word was quiet, but chilled Cloudtail's blood to the bone. " _Something's wrong_ " he realized. Dovewing pushed her way quickly into the Nursery. Shortly after she emerged with Lilykit and Seedkit behind her, the two kits coated in blood. Brightheart gasped and dashed to meet the kits, calling over her shoulder to him. "Cloudtail? Tell our kits to stay where they are!"

He padded over to a gap in the nursery wall where his kits stared at him wide eyed. "Stay there and be quiet for a while OK? I'll lie with you three and tell you about the battle." The three kittens quickly huddled around the nest, and he stood up to make his way into the nursery.

"Sorreltail never hurt anyone, why would Starclan take her now?" he murmured, forcing himself to settle down between his kits, all eagerly pawing him wanting to hear the stories.

By the time he was done, it was moon high, Brightheart was back, with Lilykit and Seedkit all sharing the nest. Cloudtail started to groom the blood out of his pelt. He still had a pinkish red tint to his fur, especially since his wound that was starting to close. He stared at the vigil going on, and with a heavy heart, Cloudtail knew he didn't possibly have the energy to sit vigil. He glanced towards the medicine cat den, at a just barely conscious Leafpool, and sighed.

"I can wait longer for treatment." He got up and padded to where the vigil was taking place, he leaned down and groomed Firestar's cheek. "I'm sorry I can't sit vigil Firestar, but I know you understand." he whispered, glancing at Sandstorm as she moved. The pale ginger she-cat opened her eyes, and gave Cloudtail a tired nod, as if granting him permission not to sit vigil. Looking away, feeling guilty, Cloudtail padded to the Warriors den and lay down, ignoring the pain in his stomach the best he could. Eventually he slipped into a shallow, pain filled sleep.

Cloudtail awoke to the dawn light flittering down into the den. The battle had seemed to have ripped the den apart. As he gazed around at the mostly empty, ruined nests he became aware of a horrid smell and that he felt far too warm. He glanced down, to see his wound had closed - and become infected over night.

"Brightheart will kill me if she sees this." he groaned, and staggered out of the den and to the medicine cat den. The vigil was still going on, he turned towards the medicine cat den, now standing he felt like his whole stomach was on fire. as he passed a shllow puddle, he saw in his reflection his fur was now mostly a dark, muddy red where blood from the battle, and his own wound had stained his pelt.

"Leafpool! Please it's important." he peered into the gloom, feeling a pang as Leafpool looked at him. The pretty she-cat looked worn down, ragged and very sad. Next to her, Foxleap seemed to be fighting a fever. She got to her delicate white paws and padded to meet him.

"Cloudtail what do you-" she broke off as she stared at his horrid wound, she wrinkled her nose as the smell hit her.

"I'm sorry, you were so busy.."

"You stupid furball! I had Squirrelflight tell everyone who needed treatment to come get it. But now look at you!"

"I know, I know." he mewed, trying to assure her, but she cut in, her amber eyes blazing with fury.

"No, you don't know! The battle has claimed so many lives already, taking my father, my best friend and my precious daughter. I don't need to lose my cousin too. Now lie down their while I mix up a poultice before I claw your ears off and throw the remains into a snake den!" Cloudtail quickly did as he was told, exposing his belly while Leafpool angrily stomped around, chewing up herbs and spitting them on him. He let out a hiss of pain as the juices began to sink in, causing strong stinging pains.

"It means it's working if it burns." she muttered before turning her back on him to get more herbs. "I'm sorry Cloudtail, for that outburst. But could you imagine Brightheart's face if I told her you had died overnight?"

"I know. I know- Ow." he let out another hiss as she quickly chewed up and let marigold juice drip onto the wound. She then pushed some cobwebs onto his stomach. Leafpool spat out the left over leaves and nodded at him. "You're free to go. I can't apply a dressing since I'm having to use it on Foxleap, but you should be fine with cobwebs until others return with supplies. Now, go help rebuild the camp."

"I will, thank you Leafpool. I-I'll see if Brightheart or anyone can come help you later…" he began, but Leafpool just sighed and passed by him.

"Jayfeather will help. But excuse me now… I need to go bury my family.." Cloudtail winced, and padded after her.

"I'll help, I can carry-"

"No. Just… Leave me alone. I know you mean well but… I can't let your wound reopen, and there are more warriors in the camp who need you here now."

"I…" Cloudtail broke off, knowing he wouldn't be able to budge Leafpool when she got like this. She could be just as stubborn as her sister when she wanted. " Yet he knew his mate would be equally furious if she saw him like this. "You can't stop me Leafpool. They're my family too."

Leafpool snorted and followed him out the den. Briarlight stirred and called out to them. "Be careful you two!"

"What could happen? Like falling in to a grave?" Leafpool called over her shoulder as she walked away, but Cloudtail could of sworn she added under her breath: "But Starclan wouldn't let me have peace, not yet." Stunned with her comment, Cloudtail stood still uncertainly, until he saw Cherrypaw was limping over to him, her paws bitten in battle.

"Hi Cloudtail! Oooh.. That looks… Painful" she mewed untactful as ever. Realizing she had said that out loud from the look Cloudtail gave her, she looked horrified and stopped moving along.

"I mean- Ah… It'll heal well now Leafpool has seen to it! I am so so sorry Cloudtail. I'm having a stressful day…" she mewed, her voice getting quieter and quieter untill she was barely audible.

"I think we all are Cherrypaw." Cloudtail mewed, forcing himself to sound positive. "Say, I'll need help repairing the wall, do you want to help me for later by gathering branches?" Cherrypaw visibly hesitated.

"Uh… Out in the forest? Where… _They_ might be lurking?" she asked, trembling slightly.

"I promise you, if there are any more of those… Vile, disgusting cats out there, I will personally deal with them. Not a hair on your pelt would be hurt." Cloudtail assured her, standing up straighter and pushing out his chest, only to wince in pain as he did so. When he glanced back at the ginger apprentice, he saw her whiskers twitch slightly, looking like she was trying to not laugh.

" _Well at least one of us is amused by pain._ " Cloudtail thought bitterly, but decided to say something nicer instead. "Well we can't stand around camp afraid of being hurt. Can we? That wouldn't be very warrior-like of us." Cherrypaw nodded her head, now looking serious. "We'll get a patrol together, I'm sure Toadstep, and…" he glanced around the clearing, to see Birchfall, Thornclaw, Blossomfall and Mousewhisker quietly going into the Warriors den together, looking disappointed.

" _Were they not allowed to bury the fallen either? That's awful, Ferncloud was Birchfall's mother…"_ "Briarlight will help, just give her a nudge with your paws. " he added outloud, looking back at her as he walked towards Hollyleaf's body. "Be sure to gather some herbs too." with that he left the apprentice to her job, and quietly helped his clan mates carry Hollyleaf out of the camp.


	4. Chapter 3 - Onestar

**Right after the Dark Forest Battle.**

Onestar and Whitetail stared blankly around the Windclan camp. Well, what was left of it anyway. The Nursery, a large bramble bush, had been torn apart and parts of it were everywhere. The Elder's den, an abandoned badger set, had been caved in by someone, sadly one elder, Webfoot had not got away in time and had suffocated, one limp gray paw poking out of the dirt. There were multiple blood stains all across the ground. Some looked far fresher than others. The fresh-kill pile had been trampled over, squashed mice, rabbits and birds bleeding on to the ground. The medicine cat den, a crevice between boulders looked like the only untouched area of the camp, no scraps of fur or blood stains covering the cracks.

"Those dark-forest flea pelts must have been too busy battling to see it." Whitetail murmured to him, following his gaze. "Oh Onestar, what has happened to our Clan?"

"I… Don't know." Onestar admitted, lowering his head sadly. "At least the battle seems to be over now."

He lifted his large ears, hearing paw steps approach the camp. He scented them first. The young cat Whiskernose, who only got his name the previous day, pushed his way back into camp, limping heavily, alongside Kestrelflight and Barkface. The starry brown medicine cat waved his tail at Onestar but kept walking, his mouth clamped shut with herbs. Kestrelflight stopped beside his leader.

"Are either of you hurt badly?" he asked. Onestar shook his head, ignoring the gash in his neck. Whitetail shook her head too. The white she-cat had only a few scratch marks along her large flank. Though her belly was bloated with the weight of kits.

"Atleast let me put some cobwebs on your wound Onestar… I know you lost a life. I felt it in the middle of battle." He mewed lowering his voice at the last few words, and narrowing his eyes at his leader. Whitetail gasped, and stared at Onestar.

"Is that true?" she whispered.

"Yes. It's true. " He reluctantly mewed _. "Only three left."_ He added silently. Kestrelflight stared into his amber eyes, clearly having the same thought.

Whiskernose lay outside the medicine cat den, and now Onestar could see how badly he was hurt. The light brown tom's belly fur was stained dark red, as a long gash stretched from his front leg and to his neck. Onestar shuddered at the sight, once his brain registered what he was looking at. Kestrelflight glanced over his shoulder.

"I'll be right back. I'll send Barkface out to see to you. He said he wasn't going back to Starclan until he knows all the warriors are safe."

Onestar dipped his head gratefully, and sat down on his haunches as Kestrelflight padded away. Whitetail started grooming him, with short, harsh licks, her ears flat to her small head.

"Ow, could you be a little gentler Whitetail?" He grumbled, Whitetail looked up, her hazel eyes flashing with anger.

"Why didn't you tell me you lost a life?" she hissed, lashing her tail.

"I'm sorry… I didn't want to worry you. I was going to tell you once my warriors had all come back." He mewed, licking her head. "I have a job for you though, I need you to look for the queens, elders and apprentices, to tell them it's safe to head back to the Clan."

"What about our warriors?" she asked.

"They'll be on their way back soon, I'm sure." He assured her. He knew Whitetail was worried about their daughter – Heathertail. "Once Ashfoot is back we'll send out a patrol to do the hunting."

Whitetail gave him a long, worried look. It seemed to say " _What if Ashfoot doesn't come back?_ " He forced himself to look away. Whitetail sighed and got to her paws, before licking his ear and padding away across the moorland. Onestar looked up, the sun had started to set, and soon it would be too dark to send out patrols. He shook the thought away as Kestrelflight approached him, unevenly staggering on three paws, one outstretched holding the thin shiny strands of cobwebs. He spat out some marigold on to the ground as he sat down a mouse length away from his leader.

"Alright, hold still." Kestrelflight mewed, carefully patting the cobweb into place along the gash. He then bent down and picked up the marigold leaves, and crushed them so their juices trickled out. He patted his paws on the juice that had dribbled down his white chin, before putting those paws on to the wound. Onestar hissed and turned his head away.

"Oh come on Onestar, you're telling me even the leader hisses like a grumpy kit at a poultice being applied?" Kestrelflight mewed, keeping his voice a joking tone. Onestar heard a tired amused purr come from Whiskernose.

"It never gets better having a poultice applied." Onestar retorted, turning his head back to look at his medicine cat. Barkface squeezed out of the medicine cat den, and began applying cobwebs to Whiskernose's wound. Onestar got up and approached the Tallrock. He glanced back at his medicine cats, hard at work trying to stop Whiskernose bleeding out.

"I'm going to stay watch atop of here. In case I see any wounded Clan mates."

"Good idea." Barkface called, as Kestrelflight waved his speckled tail, indicating he had heard.

Onestar dug his claws in, and slowly pulled himself up to the top of the rock, his claws scraping along the hard surface, making a harsh noise. He settled down upon the top, sitting on the moss that was growing up there. He slowly stared around, carefully analysing his territory with amber eyes. Allowing he cool air the gently massage his face. He looked south, and could see a group of five cats limping back to camp. He let out a purr, recognizing his daughter Heathertail among them. The others looked like the elder Tornear, carrying Hailkit. Applepaw and Featherpaw were walking together, it looked like Applepaw had twisted her front paw and was unable to put weight on it. Finchkit was being carried back by his mother, Larksong, who was leading the patrol of cats back to camp.

"Some of our Clan mates are back!" He called out, Barkface glanced behind him, making sure they weren't Dark Forest cats before quickly running towards the patrol, taking Hailkit from Tornear. The elder looked happy to see his old friend again. Onestar purred at him.

"It's good to see you still standing, old friend."

"Likewise." Tornear bowed his head to him, before looking serious. "I saw some other cats in the distance, on the way back here. They were at the lake I think."

"I'll head that way then. Watch over the camp." Onestar mewed, and turned to race up the slope towards the lake. One at the top he got on his back paws and continued to look around his darkening territory. He glanced towards the lake, and could only just see at the large entrance of the tunnels, where boulders and rocks were. It appeared like cats were still fighting. One was lay near the entrance, appearing motionless. While three cats were fighting one. Quickly Onestar raced down the rocky moorland and ran out of the Clan, determined to stop any cats that posed a danger to his clan. Ignoring the calls of his clan mates as he leapt over Whiskernose and up the steep grassy hillside that led to the lake.

As he got closer, he could clearly see the cat lay down, was not dead. But was trapped in place as a rock had fallen and crushed their paw. The other three cats who were fighting seemed to be trying to drive the cat on his own away from the wounded cat.

"Stop! Stop fighting!" Onestar bellowed, slowing down as he approached the battle. Stopping in surprise at what he saw.

Ashfoot was the cat trapped under the rock. Even from here Onestar could see the bone sticking out of her trapped leg as she wriggled to get free. His gaze travelled to the other cats, the one cat on his own had been pinned down by Crowfeather, Weaselfur and Harespring.

"Let me go, you fox-hearts!" the black tom cat snarled, Onestar blinked, realizing it was Breezepelt. His amber eyes glowing with disgust as he stared at his father. "You have the wrong cat!"

"Wrong cat? Wrong cat?" Crowfeather hissed, digging his claws in to his sons pelt, making him hiss. "Then tell me why my mother was screeching 'Breezepelt why did you do this?!' The black cat just rolled his eyes insolently and looked away. Crowfeather let out a furious snarl.

"What's going on here?" He snapped, looking at Ashfoot. The skinny gray cat stared at him, her blue eyes dull, her adrenaline that kept her going slowly running out.

"A-at the start of the battle, Breezepelt ran up to me, he told me… That Larksong had retreated in to the tunnels with hers kits, but Dark Forest cats followed her in there. So I ran in there, when I couldn't find any trace of her or the enemy, I tried to leave…"

"Yes?" Onestar asked, approaching his worried deputy, and looking at the rock that had her pinned. It looked like it had been pushed…

"I got to the entrance, and stood tasting the air.. I heard rumbling above me. I looked up to see the rock fall. I tried to jump away, twisting my body… But my paw got stuck. When I tried to get free, I saw Brokentail and Breezepelt staring down at me… They ran off and left me here to die."

"That is a heap of fox-dung and you know it!" Breezepelt snarled, trying to heave himself up unsuccessfully. "Brokentail told me to do it! You just never liked me! None of you did!" Harespring lashed out with his powerful back legs, and kicked the black tom in the back of the head, shutting him up.

"So you've been stuck here all this time?" Onestar asked, devastated.

"Tallstar and Morningflower saw me trapped, they tried to get me free. But even Starclan didn't have the power to move this… They left me here, promising to come back once the battle was over to help but…" Ashfoot turned her head and glared at Breezepelt.

"But then this… dark forest traitor came back. I thought he was going to apologise, maybe even set me free. I'd have forgiven him. But instead he told me Brokentail was dead, and he was here to finish the job. 'Tying up loose ends.' That's when Harespring and his patrol caught up to him and attacked."

Onestar turned and glared at the black tom. He stalked forward, stiff legged with fury. "You three, escort him back to camp and have him dig out the Elders den, then keep him in there until I get back. Breezepelt, you'll be lucky if I don't slice your throat open myself when I'm finished with you." Breezepelt just laughed as he was forced to his paws and escorted back to camp.

"You won't do that Onestar! It's too Dark-forest for you."

"Oh just shut up with your hedgehog pricklyness you insolent furball" Harespring spat out, and raked his claws down the skinny toms spine. Breezepelt snarled, but didn't turn around as the two younger cats forced him forward. Crowfeather trailed behind, before pausing momentarily, and glanced at his mother, looking like he was in great pain.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said, before he caught up to his patrol and shoved Breezepelt forward with his head.

Onestar turned back to his deputy, and tried to push the rock off of her. Ashfoot let out a shrill pain-filled cry as she tried to pull her leg away. Onestar had to give up, dropping back to all fours.

"I can't do this alone, Ashfoot I'm so, so sorry. I have to go and get some help. I'm not strong enough." He let out a sigh, and closed his eyes. Only to smell a very familiar scent surround him.

"Giving up already? Tsk, tsk Onestar. If I had been leader I wouldn't of given up so easy." Onestar spun around, staring at Mudclaw. The skinny brown tom drew his lips back in to a intimidating smile. "Good to see you." He purred. "Tallstar, Morningflower and Deadfoot are on their way to help. I just wish I wasn't seeing you over such a dire reason."

"D-do you know who else from my clan has died?" Onestar asked, looking worried.

"Yes. Leaftail, Tawnykit, Sedgewhisker and Swallowtail have all joined Starclan." Mudclaw murmured, looking grim. "I'm sorry." The skinny brown tom turned his head, as he saw the twinkle of stars just over the hillside. "Ah here they are at last."

Tallstar was in the lead of his patrol, the skinny black and white tom looked moons younger than he had been when he had died. There was a spring in his step as he walked. Deadfoot was close behind, looking very worried for his former mate's safety, never slowing in stride. Morningcloud was at the rear, the tortoiseshell she-cat was glancing around, making sure no more cats were around to attack. Onestar dipped his head respectfully at his fallen comrades.

"We'll do the formalities later." Deadfoot mewed, running past Onestar and licking Ashfoot affectionately. "First we need to get you free my dear." The skinny black tom put his front paws against the rock. "A little help toms? Morningflower, you get ready to help pull her paw free." Morningflower nodded and got in place next to Ashfoot, gently grabbing her stuck leg with her teeth.

"Weady." She mumbled through a mouthful of fur. Tallstar, Mudclaw and Onestar all put their fore paws on the rock.

"Alright, on three. One… Two… Three!" Tallstar shouted, shoving himself harshly against the rock. The other toms followed, and after a few seconds Onestar felt the rock move slightly.

"Keep pushing!" Onestar called, digging his back paws in to the grass, and stretching hard. The rock moved again, a little further this time. Ashfoot let out a cry as she yanked her front leg – and then she was free! After panting triumphantly, it seemd Ashfoot's adrenaline finally ran out, and she sank to the floor.

Morningflower pulled her front paw far away from the rock, before grabbing Ashfoot's scruff and dragging her away. Once a few tail lengths away, the toms let go of the rock, letting it drop forward, and fall down into the entrance. Blocking it.

"She'll be okay, we'll carry her back to camp." Deadfoot assured Onestar, licking his mate lovingly, before moving himself undereath her. Morningcloud helped shove the limp she-cat onto Deadfoot's muscular back. "You go find your former clan mates bodies and other injured clan mates, we'll stay until you're back."

"Alright, but be careful around Breezepelt. Make sure he doesn't escape from the elders den."

"Understood." Deadfoot mewed, and with Ashfoot secure, she slowly started to limp back to camp, with Tallstar and Morningflower side by side. Mudclaw hesitated, like he wanted to speak to Onestar. But simply turned and followed the other Starclan cats.

Onestar continued to run across the soft meadow, following the scents of the battle deeper and deeper in to the territory. In the distance he could see four lifeless bodies, being dragged along by several other clan mates and Starclan cats. He could make out the dark figure of Nightcloud, dragging Leaftail's dark brown body along. She stopped once she smelt him approaching.

"Onestar! The battle is over!" She called. Raising her head with pride.

"I know… I know." He replied, stopping in front of his clan and Starclan cats. He could see Quickpaw and Morningcloud helping carry the deceased back to camp. Alongside his alive clan mates, Owlwhisker, Gorsetail, Crouchfoot and Boulderfur. They all looked relieved to see their leader alive and well. Onestar gazed at the lifeless bodies, and saw they were Weaselfur, Leaftail, Sedgewhisker and Swallowtail. All loyal warriors the clan would miss terribly.

He hesitated, he knew he had to inform his warriors what had happened, but he knew it wouldn't be easy with Breezepelt's mother stood right there.

"Tallstar, Deadfoot, Morningflower and Mudclaw have carried Ashfoot back to camp. No, no don't worry! She is alive. Though her front paw will probably be removed by Kestrelflight. The bones were sticking out painfully… She was left to die… By Breezepelt." He heard the warriors gasp as he closed his eyes. Trying to ignore Nightcloud's horrified expression. Except what came out of her mouth wasn't what he expected.

"My son would never do that! Do you have any proof he would betray his Clan?!" She snarled, unsheathing her claws.

"Yes actually. Ashfoot witnessed Breezepelt and Brokentail crush her foot with the rock. Harespring, Crowfeather and Weaselfur all saw Breezepelt return and try to finish her off."

"N-no… You must be lying to me!" she shrieked furiously. "My son is a good tom! I know he is! I-"

"I'm not here to argue with you Nightcloud, I'm here to give you the facts. Now if you excuse me, I have to carry my clan mates back with my warriors. I'd like you to help. We'll deal with this once we're back."

Onestar bent down and grabbed Leaftail's scruff, and continued to drag the dark tom along. Nightcloud glared at Onestar, before grabbing Leaftail's legs and helping carry him back. Though Onestar couldn't ignore the disgusted look from her dark green eyes all the time.

Onestar didn't stop until his fallen clan mates were lay in the Clan, allowing warriors to sit vigil for them. All his clan mates seemed to have returned,some with more wounds than others. But most seemed to be patched up. He stared around. Barkface seemed to have returned to Starclan, as Kestrelflight was working alone. With Tallstar, Morningflower, Deadfoot and the rest saying their final goodbyes before they leave. Nightcloud walked up to Mudclaw, looking sorrowful but glad to see him.

"Mudclaw, I can't believe I can see you again." She breathed, looking star struck. Mudclaw dipped his head to her formally.

"I missed you too." He replied curtly, his gaze looking past her at Crowfeather. Nightcloud blinked, looking hurt.

"I-I missed you a lot. I only- I only took Crowfeather as a mate because you weren't here to give me the wonderful kits you promised!" she blurted out, wanting his attention.

"Nightcloud…" He murmured, looking sorry for her. But before he could finish his thought, Tallstar lay his tail across his shoulder.

"Come, we must return to Starclan now."

"Ah…" He turned back to Nightcloud and blinked at her. "I'll see you one day. We'll walk along the stars together. Okay?"

"No! Please stay!" She begged, but Mudclaw turned and padded away, slowly fading as he left for afterlife again. Nightcloud stood, staring after him, her tail between her legs. She turned to look around, to see Crowfeather glaring at her.

"Just to have kits?" He hissed, looking furious.

"Well I-I didn't mean it like that. I swear I did lov-"

"I don't care." Crowfeather snapped, stalking past her and heading to the elders den. Nightcloud just hung her head and sat down where she was.

"Crowfeather, Harespring." Onestar called, the two toms looked up. "Go and bring Breezepelt out. We'll judge his actions now."

"...After the battle, Breezepelt returned to try and finish his crime off. But was caught by our patrol."

Breezepelt stared at Onestar, a look of contempt on his face. As Onestar explained to the Clan the crimes he had committed during the battle. As The small brown tabby walked he had a hard time ignoring the amber eyes that followed the small tabbies every move, before stopping in front of the black tom, their noses close to touching.

"After everything you've done, do you have anything that could possibly justify your actions?" Onestar hissed to him. Breezepelt just blinked slowly, before clearing his throat.

"Yes. I do _Old_ star." He began, ignoring the gasps from his clan mates.

"Ever since I was born you all excluded me, ignored me, pushed me aside. For what? Was it due to looking after the weak over the strong? Because I was the son to the traitor who ran away from his duties as a Windclan warrior? Then after that I learned not only my father was a traitor, but a filthy half-clan breeder too?! I joined the Dark Forest to prove myself. That I am strong. Stronger than him, stronger than you all! The only cat who's never ignored me or left me out is… My mother, Nightcloud." He mewed solemnly, not taking his eyes off of Onestar.

"That is the biggest amount of fox-dung I've ever heard!" Onestar snarled, lashing his tail furiously. "Breezepelt, who would take you on walks with Heathertail around camp as kits when Crowfeather was gone? That's right. Me. Also. If I didn't care about you, then why would of I have made your mentor _my mate_?"

Breezepelt didn't respond, he just rolled his eyes before he stared at his mother, sat next to Daisyfield. Nightcloud got up, and quickly defended her kit.

"Breezepelt has had a hard upbringing though!" She argued. "Harder than most! With Crowfeather never around, ignoring him, I had to always teach him right from wrong, to teach him about what it meant to be a true warrior." Ignoring the outraged Crowfeather's shouts of " _I was never around because you hated me!"_ from the other side of the camp.

Onestar nodded looking understanding and thoughtful, before asking. "So it's your fault?"

"I… What?" Nightcloud asked, looking baffled. Cautiously Daisyfield shifted away from her, sensing things were about to get out of hand.

"Well, you said you are the one who taught him everything, right and wrong. So I'm asking again – is it your fault or his fault?"

"… Uh…" Nightcloud stood and stared blankly, before Onestar turned back to Breezepelt.

"Also Breezepelt what was that you said? 'Looking after the weak over the strong'? Do you have no respect for the elders? The cats who served this clan loyally their whole lives?" he heard a loud "Ahem" from the crowd. "Tornear, your thoughts on the matter."

Tornear stepped forward, looking sorrowful. "Breezepelt, when you were a young kit, I remember myself and Webfoot telling you stories. You were such a good kit, brave, confident and yes outspoken too - but loyal. But now? You are just cocky, arrogant and a traitor. If it were up to me, Onestar. The punishment for attempted murder on clan mates? Would be death."

Onestar dipped his head. "Thank you for your input, Tornear." The wiry elder sat back down, looking tired. "Does any other cat have anything to add to this?" Nervously Sunstrike made her way through the ring of cats, her pelt bristling with anxiety. "Yes Sunstrike?"

"Ah… I was also in the Dark Forest." She mewed, ignoring the looks of disgust Tornear and Lizardpaw gave her. "I swear to Starclan, I only thought they wanted to teach us fighting skills. But while I was only a trainee, I never got far because I couldn't bare to do the things they told me to very well. But Breezepelt? Breezepelt rose up through the ranks. He was always by Brokentail's or Thistleclaw's side. Fighting tooth and claw, splattering blood where he went never once relenting…" she broke off, shuddering. "Antpelt was killed by his wounds in the Dark Forest, and Breezepelt vowed he would always stick by… What happened…" she broke off, staring at the ground, swallowing hard. "When the battle started, Breezepelt tried to attack a Windclan warrior, but I didn't see who…" she sat back down at the ground, her pelt bristling as she recalled the events.

"Alright, thank you Sunstrike… But you won't be let off for training in the Dark Forest, but for now…" he turned back to Breezepelt. "So now we have multiple reports of you harming clan mates, what is there to do with you…" He sat down to think, ignoring the horrified face and smatterings of Nightcloud's as he thought.

"Breezepelt! Your punishment will be a swift death. May Starclan have mercy on your restless spirit."

"No! Please! You can't kill my only tom kit! My kit!" Nightcloud shrieked, rushing forward to attack Onestar, only for Emberfoot to grab her and drag her backwards. "No, let go of me! Please Emberfoot he's my- Fine!" she snarled suddenly, turning around and scratching his muzzle viscously. Splattering his blood on the already stained ground. Emberfoot howled in pain and fell backwards, pawing at their muzzle. Harespring quickly got up and bowled her over, and pinned her down so her paws were forced down by the stronger toms own paws.

Onestar turned his attention back to Breezepelt, unsheathing his claws. "Weaselfur, Furzepelt…" he gestured to the black tom with his tail, both cats quickly padded forward and held him down, pushing his muzzle into the grass. Onestar reared up on his hind legs, claws outstretched, ready to strike a painful blow, blood roaring in his ears-

"Father you can't kill him!" Heathertails panicked screech rang out, as she shoved her way to the front of the crowd. Onestar dropped back to all fours and stared at her.

"Why in Starclan's name not?" he asked. Breezepelt let out a groan, and raised his head, opening one amber eye to look at her.

"Don't tell him…" He breathed, but she ignored him.

"I'm expecting his kits!" she shouted. The whole Clan stood in silence, glancing at one another, Onestar flickered his gaze to her stomach. Her stomach was slightly bigger than usual… He glared at Breezepelt with a look of pure hatred and back to her.

"Please, do anything else, rip his tail off. Neuter him, anything! Just… No more blood needs to be spilled." Heathertail whispered, staring at Breezepelt a moment longer, before turning her back on him, and sitting down. "I can't watch this." Onestar heard her choke out. Sighing he turned to Breezepelt.

"Since my daughter has convinced me to spare you… Your new punishment is exile."

"What?!" Nightcloud screeched, trying in vain to wriggle free. Harespring glanced at Onestar, who just sighed and gestured to let her go. Reluctantly the tom toms did so, and she ran forward. She skidded to a halt in front of him and tried to stare him down.

"If you exile my son I will leave too!" she snarled. Onestar didn't blink, not even a twitch of his ear in response. He just looked expectantly at her.

"Then go." He finally mewed, when Nightcloud just stared in shock, he turned to face Kestrelflight. Clearly that had not been the answer she expected "Give these two travelling herbs." Kestrelflight nodded and quickly shot past him. Onestar looked back at the two black cats. "Then a patrol of cats will escort you off of the edge of our territory. If we ever catch either of you in Windclan again. We will not hesitate to kill you." She turned his small head towards his Clan. "Does anyone object to this punishment?" no one responded, though Heathertail lowered her head sadly. "No one? Hmm. Crowfeather? Anything you wish to say to your mate and son?"

Crowfeather came forward, but stood a good distance from his mate and kit.

"Nightcloud, you may not believe this, but I did love you at one point. You were not like Lea- you were brash and you were confident. You knew what you wanted in life. I loved you too Breezepelt. I was just… Scared of losing you two. That's why I've pushed you both away." The usually scratchy tom looked heart broken, ignoring Breezepelt's hiss of disbelief before continuing. "I wanted nothing more but to love you, but I couldn't allow myself to grow close to you. I saw myself in you, a scratchy, bad tempered cat who thought he knew it all. I regret not being there, and ignoring you, and pushing you away." he swallowed, before his blue eyes became steely.

"But according to you Nightcloud I was only your mate so you could have kits. That is what you said! Don't you try and talk over me. I heard you say it! " He sighed, before turning away. "I should have been a better mate and father. I know this." With that he slowly walked away. Kestrelflight came back, and spat a bundle of herbs down and separated them in to two minisule piles.

"That's all we can spare." He muttered when Onestar looked at him questioningly. Finally the guards let go of Breezepelt so he could sit up and eat his herb bundle. Once finished Onestar called out names of the escort patrol.

"Boulderfur, Crouchfoot, Harespring, Sunstrike, Daisyfield and Gorsetail" he called out to his least wounded warriors. "You will escort Breezepelt and Nightcloud to the Thunderpath. Make sure they cross before returning." The cats nodded and formed a ring around the two cats as they escorted them away.

"Theres two more things I must do before I can finally rest." He muttered to himself. He crossed through the camp and to the medicine cat den, nodding at a tired Whiskernose as he passed by. He peered inside. Ashfoot was lay down, writhing in pain from her paw. Onestar stared at it. The paw was barely connected and the bone seemed to be shattered.

"It's rude to stare." Ashfoot called out when she spotted Onestar, he let out a tired purr and padded inside to sit with her.

"He's going to remove it isn't he?" Onestar asked quietly.

"Yes. It's no big deal though." Ashfoot responded, trying not to look like it bothered her. But Onestar had known her for many moons.

"You're worried" he mewed quietly, gently petting her good paw.

"Of course I am! My grand kit smashes my paw open, then tries to kill me. Now I'm going to have to limp on three legs, why wouldn't I be worried?" she snapped. Onestar leant back, shocked at the usually calm she-cats outburst.

"Sorry… But how can I be a good deputy with only three paws? I won't be able to patrol… Or hunt." She groaned, covering her head with her good front paw. Onestar's expression softened.

"You've been my deputy for many, many moons. If you have to retire, then we'll deal with that when we get there. We're a team remember? You, me and Whitetail." he purred licking her head. Ashfoot nodded, not looking convinced. "Besides, your mate only had three good paws, and he was deputy!"

"That's a bit different, he was born with his problem, and learnt to cope with it…" Ashfoot just sighed. Kestrelflight's voice rang through the back of the den.

"Onestar you best leave for now, I need to uh… Remove it. Unless you want to help?"

"Uh, no. No! I'm sure you'll do a good job without me!" He replied, quickly getting to his paws and padding away, waving his tail in farewell as he left. Once he stood outside, he looked around. The moon was slowly starting to rise. Larksong was stood with her two kits, Finchkit and Hailkit, looking miserable. He approached her, calling out "Need any help?" to the worrying mother.

"Mama I want to sleep now." Finchkit mewed, stretching his jaws in a huge yawn. Followed by Hailkit.

"Yes, yes. Uh Onestar where should we sleep? The Nursery has seen better days." She mewed, looking desperate.

"I'm sure Tornear wouldn't mind sharing the repaired elders den with you, would you Tornear?" he called out to the old elder, who was sat sitting vigil. He didn't turn around, he just called back:

"She can sleep in there on her own tonight. We have a vigil to sit."

" _Oh fox dung he's right."_ Onestar sighed and nodded at her. Larksong didn't look too convinced.

"You're sure it's safe?" she asked.

"It's very safe." Crowfeather mewed, padding up to join the conversation. "We put some sturdy branches into the ceiling to hold the dirt up."

"Oh! Well thank you Crowfeather." She purred, nudging her kits along. "Hear that kits? We have a nest!"

"Yay!" Finchkit mewed, while Hailkit just sat there, staring past Crowfeather. "Uh… there's a black she-cat stood over there" he mewed, instantly Onestar and Crowfeather whipped around, claws unsheathed, only to see… Nothing. Onestar forced his fur to lie flat.

"Hailkit, I'm sure you saw a cat's shadow. Don't scare us like that again!" Onestar mewed, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. _"I thought Nightcloud somehow got back."_

"But I… She had big green eyes." Hailkit mewed, looking confused. Shaking his head, Hailkit got up and followed his mother into the elders den.

The two cats glanced at each other.

"Kits. Am I right?" Onestar mewed, twitching his whiskers. But Crowfeather didn't react, he just stared at the same spot Hailkit had stared at, before bowing his head low to the ground, as if grieving.

"Yeah… Kit's." was all he responded with, before walking over to Tornear and sitting vigil with him. Onestar stumbled over to Whitetail, who was sat by Heathertail, both mourning the loss of so many of their clan mates. Onestar closed his eyes, and sat near Weaselfur's lifeless ginger body. He exhaled loudly.

" _It's going to be a long night."_


	5. Chapter 4 - Blackstar

_~ I wish to inform people. In this story Rowanclaw is a male to female transgender who started to call herself a she-cat after Tawnypelt had her kits.~_

Russetfur and Blackstar ducked and slashed in sync, fighting off Maggottail side-by-side. The large, translucent tom was unable to win against the two best friends. He spun around, trying to retreat, only for Russetfur to dive forward, and with a crack, Maggottail fell to the ground, and started to fade away, his breathing raspy, and blood bubbling out of his mouth. But once Maggottail had faded, no blood, no hairs, nothing. Nothing was left of him. Blackstar turned and purred at the ginger she-cat.

"You fought with the ferocity of Lionclan." He purred tiredly, touching noses with the past deputy, and mate. Russetfur's green eyes softened.

"I'm just glad you're alright." The usually sharp-tongued she-cat replied, before she looked past him and glared at a cat. "Ratscar! Come here. _**Now.**_ "

The skinny, ragged dark tom slinked forward, his ears flat to his head. He looked up at the Starclan cat nervously.

"Y-yes Ma'am."

"Were you the only Shadowclan cat who joined the Dark Forest?"

"N-no! Tigerheart joined too!" he mewed, eager to get the blame off of him. Blackstar let out an angry snarl.

"Where is he?!" he spat, whirling around, unable to see him in the crowd of cats that had returned. He looked around again, digging his claws in to the ground, before glaring at Ratscar. "You both will be punished severely for your lack of loyalty to me and my clan." He hissed. Ratscar shrank down and stared at the ground. Blackstar stared wildly around again, only to feel a tail gently rest on his shoulder. He blinked at Russetfur.

"I'm as furious as you are, but just wait." She mewed, Blackstar opened his mouth to reply, but Russetfur flicked her paw towards his den. "I need to speak to you in private." Was all she said, as she padded away and through the lichen that protected the den. Confused, Blackstar followed her in to his dark nest, and sat down on his haunches, admiring the bright green eyes and star studded pelt Russetfur had. She didn't say anything for a while, just studying him, before she broke the silence.

"Listen Blackstar, live your life with the lives you have left. Do not wait to join me in Starclan, you are in the present, the living world. Make your last lives count." She mewed firmly. Blackstar blinked in confusion.

"I miss you so much Russetfur, I can't help dwelling on the past. If only I had fought against Firestar instead, then-"

"Don't water down my sacrifice with your sorrow!" she snarled, getting to her paws again. Blackstar winced, he hadn't meant to upset her, he loved her too much for that.

"I died in battle, the way a warrior is meant to die. I wouldn't change that for anything in the whole of the Clans." Her fur lay flat, and she stood in front of Blackstar. "Remember what we always talked about? Having a litter of kits, strong little fighters to carry on our legacy? I can't give you that…. But another cat could." Blackstar stared at her, shaking his head slightly.

"I won't have kits with any other cat than you! _I love you_ Russetfur!" he retorted passionately. The ginger she-cat gazed back at him, her eyes showing more emotion than her words could ever say. But she spoke again, gentler this time.

"I'm not telling you to take another mate, not if you don't wish to. But _I_ want to see your bloodline live on, so I can watch over them. It gets boring sitting in Starclan all the time. If Boulder asks me to catch him a mouse one more time, he might go missing from Starclan, you know?" She purred, before her stars seemed to disappear, she looked at herself for a moment, before looking back at Blackstar. "I have to return to Starclan now, don't ruin Shadowclan while I'm gone, okay?" as she joked, as her outline became fainter and fainter.

"No, Russetfur please stay!" Blackstar gasped, reaching forward to grab her, only for her outline to completely fade as his paw came in contact with her. He stared at where she had been, for what felt like moons, before hauling himself to his paws and padding outside the den, thinking about what she had said to him.

However, he was quickly distracted, seeing how many of his clan mates had fallen. Pinenose was stood over the lifeless body of her Weaselkit, wailing as Ivytail pressed against her. The lifeless bodies of the warriors, Applefur and Toadfoot were being stretched out carefully by Tallpoppy and Marshstep, the two cats grieving heavily as they looked after their family for one final time. He turned his head towards the medicine cat den, to see Ratscar staring at the lifeless body of Snowbird, her pretty, snow coloured pelt stained various shades of red and brown. Her kind blue eyes, staring at nothing. Ratscar leaned forward and closed them with soft licks to her face. Despite everything that had happened, Blackstar did feel a pang of pity for him. His sister had stuck up for him again the Dark Forest, and now had paid the ultimate price.

Blackstar then noticed the body of Redwillow not too far away. The toms blood had since dried on the pine forest floor, and his amber eyes were glazed over. His lips curled instinctively. Traitor! He thought disdainfully, and noticed no other Shadowclan cats were paying notice to him. " _Good_ " he thought, before noticing Rowanclaw and approached the tom-acting- she-cat, wanting to know if the battle was over.

"Rowanclaw, report." He mewed, the ginger cat spun around, and dipped their head.

"Deceased known cats are Weaselkit, Redwillow, Snowbird, Applefur and Toadfoot. Cats missing in action are Starlingwing, Scorchfur, Whitewater and Oakfur."

"Where is Tigerheart?" he asked, keeping his voice level. Rowanclaw blinked in surprise.

"My son was on his way back from Thunderclan.. Look, there he is!" she mewed, looking pleased to see her son alright. He spun around, growling as the dark tabby walked in to the camp. He stormed over until he was towering over Tigerheart.

"You. Go wait underneath the Highbranch with Ratscar, then I'll deal with you." He hissed. Stunned, Tigerheart did so silently, his tail dragging in the pine needles as he walked. Rowanclaw looked baffled, but did not speak up against him.

"Now, we face a serious question, don't we Clan. Which is: What do we do with traitors?" Blackstar announced to his Clan from the Highbranch. Watching as several cats nodded their heads and called out in agreement. He glared down at the two toms. "What do you have to say, to defend yourself?" he asked, the branch swaying as he lashed his tail furiously. The two toms glanced at one another, before Tigerheart stood up, and held eye contact with Blackstar.

"Blackstar my leader, Rowanclaw my deputy, and Shadowclan. I never meant to betray my Clan. But when Tigerstar recruited me, I knew I couldn't let his plan come to fruition. So I played along for many moons, rising the ranks. And after seeing Ivypool revolt, I knew , the time was right." He mewed, before bowing his head. "I would have told you, but the Dark Forest had eyes and ears everywhere. I am a Shadowclan cat, and I'd do it all again to save my clan." He didn't speak after that, and Ratscar stood up, visibly shaking as he spoke.

"Blackstar, I-I didn't mean disloyalty. I just thought I could become more powerful if I joined them." He looked around the Clan, trying to catch their eyes, only for many to look away. Even his apprentice Stoatpaw turned away from him.

"Please! I never would have done this if I had realised it would have harmed our wonderful Clan…"

Blackstar unsheathed his claws, and let out a growl. "There is a difference between honesty, and cowardice, Ratscar" he sneered, his tail slowly swishing side to side. "You have said enough, now I will judge you both." The two toms stared at their paws, and Blackstar's gaze focused on Tigerheart. Sure, the young tom had trained there, but he felt inclined to believe him. However, he still would be punished. He focused on Ratscar. This cat wasn't telling everything he knew, that's for sure. He inhaled deeply, and leapt down from the branch, landing in front of the two cats.

"Tigerheart, if your claims are true, then the most suitable punishment for yourself would be serving as a medicine cat for a moon under Littlecloud. Working to save lives instead of battling, will hopefully open your eyes." Tigerheart dipped his head, looking relieved, as Blackstar turned to Ratscar.

"Ratscar, I do not know what your true motive was for you joining. However if we cannot trust you, then so be it. After Stoatpaw becomes a warrior, you will either retire to the elders, or leave Shadowclan." Ratscar's head shot up, and he looked like he was going to argue, but when Blackstar stared him out, he quickly lowered his head and padded away wordlessly.

"The meeting is over!" Blackstar called out, before padding over to Rowanclaw and Shrewfoot. "Send a small patrol out, to look for our missing cats. I will organise a patrol to start rebuilding the dens." The two cats dipped their head, and as Blackstar turned around, he eyes some of the younger Warriors. "Dawnpelt, Mousedapple, Loudstorm and Cloudpaw!" he called, all four cats stopped what they had doing. Cloudpaw even slowly put his mouse back on the trampled fresh-kill pile. "Start repairing the Nursery walls." Was all he said, before he disappeared into his den, ignoring the scratches and bites that stung his pelt as he lay down to nap before his vigil.

Blackstar reopened his eyes, to see he was on a walk with Rowanclaw, he didn't find this too unordinary, until he smelt a familiar, strong scent. He glanced up, expecting to see Russetfur in the trees, only to see a brown tabby she-cat with leaf green eyes. He watched as Rowanclaw began to claw herself up the tree, only for the she-cat to leap down at her, and the two hit the ground. With the strange she-cat passing out after impacting with the ground. He tried to ask the she-cat if she was okay, when it seemed the world started to slip move fast around him, until he was back in his den. But this time, he was in his den with that very she-cat, and he could see himself talking to her.

"You're a valued member of Shadowclan now, if you accept being my mate, you will have even more respect from clan mates – even those that doubted you. Shadowclan will never have more treasured and respected kits. So what do you say?" he heard himself speak. He gazed in shock at this small, pretty tabby. Before he heard paw steps behind him, he turned to see Russetfur gazing at him.

"It's the right choice." Was all she said, as she disappeared, along with the rest of the dream.

He woke up, startled by his dream and looked around. It was just turning dawn, and as he stood at the entrance of his den, he could see Littlecloud starting the vigil, alongside Tigerheart and the other elders. With a pang he noticed Oakfur and Starlingwing's bodies were stretched out with the other deceased cats, bringing the total of cats to seven. Starclan only knows what happened to Scorchfur and Whitewater. He pushed his head through the lichen, and watched his Clan. It looked like the senior warriors had offered to help with the amount of bodies, and slowly but surely they all disappeared from sight. Sighing, Blackstar made his way to the medicine cat den, willing to patch up his own bites and scratches. On his way there, he thought he could make out the familiar shape of Runningnose watching him, before disappearing after he blinked.

He pushed away what he saw, figuring it was just Starclan making sure no more Dark Forest creeps were about, when he heard Pinenose and Cloudpaw get up and growl, Blackstar stopped pulling herbs off of the store, to see Harespring and Crowfeather push their way through the barrier, looking grim. Quickly Blackstar rushed over to see them.

"Crowfeather, Harespring." He remarked, as the two Windclan cats nodded at him in respect. "What are you doing so far from Windclan?" a thinly veiled warning in his question. Crowfeather stepped forward, looking more bad tempered as usual.

"We are here to inform you that Breezepelt and Nightcloud have been exiled from Windclan." He replied coolly, ignoring the curious looks from the Shadowclan cats.

"Sounds serious." Rowanclaw mewed, approaching the discussion. "Where is Ashfoot? Why isn't she telling us this?"

"My mot- er Ashfoot was trapped under a boulder, and has had her front paw removed." Crowfeather replied gruffly, Rowanclaw looked horrified. A liud gag from another cat was heard. "This was due to Breezepelt working with the Dark Forest. He would have killed Ashfoot if myself and Harespring hadn't pinned him down."

Blackstar blinked, shocked at the brutality. Sure, he had killed cats in the past, but he didn't _torture_ them. However, he tried to keep his expression neutral.

"I see. Well thank you for delivering that information. We will make it clear they are not welcome in Shadowclan territory." He replied, the two skinny cats dipped their heads, and turned to leave. Harespring plowed through the barrier but Crowfeather lingered, his expression full of pain.

"If you see him, I have given you permission to kill him." He choked out, before disappearing through the barrier. Rowanclaw and Blackstar glanced at each other, looking equally as shocked.

"I know our Clan has done terrible things in the past. But wow, Windclan is messed up." Rowanclaw mewed, before shaking her head. "Uh, I best organize a small hunting patrol…"

"Yeah… You do that." Blackstar replied, still thinking about what had happened. He knew Breezepelt was always a bad tempered, even arrogant cat. But trying to murder his kin? He thought of his brother Flintfang, and how selflessly he had given his life to save Blackstar,. At the time he was Blackfoot, and was saved from a badger. He forced himself not to weigh himself down with those memories. He stared up at the dawn sky, where one last star seemed to remain.

"Mark my words, I Blackstar, leader of Shadowclan, will never allow Shadowclan to fall in to the wrong paws again." He murmured to the sky, and as if in response, the last star shone brighter than before.


	6. Chapter 5 - Mistystar

Mistystar limped back to camp as the stars started to shine in the night sky. The she-cat had several claws torn out from fighting such brutal cats, and various burning cuts and bites on her pelt. Sighing, she flopped down on the cool mud, as she waited for other cats to come home. She looked around at the camp. It seemed very much untouched, only the Nursery had a few branches unwoven. But then what did she expect, these dens had been built to be unmoveable and would need a whole Clan to dismantle even one den. She felt her body start to go numb, but she wasn't sure if it was lack of blood or the cool mud helping her.

She didn't have to wait long, to see Mothwing and Willowshine exit the Medicine cat den, with Duskfur, and her small kit Podkit. They looked untouched, and the two medicine cats rushed over to assist her. Podkit raced towards the Nursery, and disappeared out of sight, with Duskfur right behind her.

She couldn't hear what the medicine cats were saying to her, no matter how hard she tried. Tired, and feeling her age more than ever, Mistystar dozed off.

When she opened her eyes, she realised she was back in Starclan, with her mother and father Bluestar and Oakheart, her brother Stonefur, and her kits all watching her with her sister Mosskit. She sat upright, and shook her head.

"I can't have lost another life already!" she hissed in disbelief. "That means I only have five left!"

"Because you are older, you lose lives much faster." Bluestar explained. "Like when you fell from a tree and bashed your had. you lost one life on the impact, and the other because your body needed to work overtime for you to survive."

"You have been a wonderful leader." Oakheart added "We couldn't be prouder of you."

"I know… But It's all too soon." she grumbled, as she saw the stars and cats fade from her vision. " _The battle has been won, the Clans will live on."_ She heard Bluestar whisper in her ear.

Gasping, she sat up. Mothwing was finishing applying a poultice on her wrenched claws. She just nodded at her and kept working. She looked around, a lot more cats were back now. Littlefeather had just appeared at the other side of camp, helping Robinwing across the stream. Petalnose, and Minnowtail were dragging Silversnow along, Mistystar stared in horror, one of her eyes had been completely clawed out! What sick cat would do that?! They finally laid the giant tabby down, gasping for air as they staggered breathlessly to the medicine cat den.

She noticed the still, lifeless bodies of Curlkit, Mossypaw and Dapplenose, stretched out and being groomed by Pouncetail. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her with a harsh blow. Dapplenose had been her apprentice, a strong, fearless she-cat with a heart of gold. She noticed Reedwhisker stood over her, mourning her death. With a pang she remembered seeing her and her son sharing fresh-kill last sunset, and wondered if the two had planned on being mates…

Curlkit was the littermate of Podkit, and were best friends, she noticed with a pang Duskfur trying to explain to Podkit why his sister wouldn't wake up.

Mossypaw was also a tragic loss. The headstrong apprentice had the makings of a great warrior in her, cunning, smart and always prepared to take one for her team. She had planned to give her a warrior name after the battle. While it was too late for a warrior's ceremony she remembered one old tradition that could be carried out. Once Mothwing padded away, Mistystar slowly got to her paws, and approached the mourning cats, and stood over Mossyfoot. She cleared her throat, and her voice rang out across the camp.

"Cats of Riverclan!" most cats stopped what they were doing to face her, looking confused. "I ask my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has learned the warrior code and given up her life in the service of her Clan. Let StarClan receive her as a warrior. She will be known as Mossyfur!"

"Mossyfur! Mossyfur!" Reedwhisker called out, quickly joined by the other cats. Mistystar gazed down at the small she-cats lifeless body, and for a moment it looked like stars shimmered in her pelt, but as she blinked the stars were gone. She opened her mouth again as the cheering started to die down.

"I also have a question for all my clan mates." She added, catching them off guard again. "Which of you trained behind our backs in the Dark Forest?" a silence quickly fell across the Clan, and Mistystar drew herself up to look menacing.

"If you do not tell me now, I will find out sooner or later. I will count to five. One. Two." Hollowflight stared at the floor, and stepped forward, but Mistystar knew he wasn't alone. "Three. Four." Minnowtail and Icewing glanced at each other, and also stepped forward. "Five."

She looked at the three cats, all she thought were fiercely loyal to her and their Clan. She asked one, simple question. "Why?"

"W-w-we thought they just wanted to teach us fighting skills." Icewing mewed, hanging her head. Minnowtail nodded in agreement, and added.

"Once we found out what they were doing, we were horrified. But when we tried to leave, Beetlewhisker stood up to them… That's how he died" as she finished talking, Icewing crumbled and started to sob, visibly wrecked with grief.

"Hollowflight, what about you?" Mistystar asked, her voice dangerously quiet.

"At first, I sided with them. I thought they cared about me, when Troutstream and Mossypaw picked on me, I felt them beside me, comforting me." He mewed quietly. "But then, they hurt me, shoving me in slime, fighting me until I bled. Then at one training practise, they half buried me in the dirt, making me fight with my back paws… They tried to rip my belly open" Troutscream let out a horrified gasp as she stared at the young warrior. "When the battle began, I was terrified as Maggottail attacked the camp… But I pulled him off Duskfur, and she and Podkit got away safely."

"It's true." Duskfur called, though she hung her head. Podkit was running about, trying to play with other cat's tails, not aware what had happened. Hollowflight stared at her, his eyes full of regret.

"I'm so sorry Duskfur, I tried to save Curlkit…" he broke off, unable to look at anyone, and stared at the floor. Mistystar felt her anger melt away. These cats weren't killers, at heart they were Riverclan cats through and through.

"Icewing, Hollowflight and Minnowtail. I can see you were manipulated by those evil cats, and I am sorry. I will not punish you, I think your regret is enough… However, I know your friends and families won't be so quick to accept you back. You must work tirelessly to get our trust back. Understand?"

The three cats looked stunned, but very relieved. They all bowed their heads. She heard her clan muttering around her, and wasn't sure if she had made the right choice. She noticed some cats glaring at the three, and ignoring them. It was clear earning the Clans trust would take a long time.

But she sat down next to Reedwhisker to hold a vigil over the fallen. While Heronpaw started placing smooth pebbles and shells around the deceased. She closed her eyes as she listened to the sounds of her tired and worn out Clan around her.

Mistystar eventually opened her eyes, to see Pouncetail, Mothwing, Willowshine, Duskfur, Graymist and Sneezecloud starting to move the bodies away for their burial near the lake. She forced herself to her stiff paws, and arched her back in a stretch, letting out a large yawn. She itched to get some sleep, but she knew she had to help put her Clan back together, she turned to her son, Reedwhisker and nodded at him.

"I will take the border patrol across the Shadowclan border. I'll take Minnowtail, Honeypelt and Littlefeather." She mewed, Reedwhisker dipped his head.

"Alright, just be careful ma'" was all he replied with, before turning his attention to the warriors she had wanted. "Minnowtail! Honeypelt! Littlefeather! You'll be joining Mistystar on a patrol, finish your prey and get moving."

As they approached the Greenleaf Twoleg Place, Mistystar stood at the border, looking for a Shadowclan patrol, she wanted to check how they had been doing, she couldn't shake the thought that Blackstar might have lost his final life… She blinked, noticing Minnowtail staring intently in the direction of Thunderclan territory.

"Do you think everyone's alright?" she murmured quietly. Before Mistystar could reply, Honeypelt dryly cut in.

"Even if they aren't, they will be eventually. Whether it be in a sunrises time, or a moons time." She remarked, her tail swishing. Mistystar saw Littlefeather dip his head slightly in agreement. A few more moments passed, and eventually Mistystar gestured with her tail, signalling the patrol to continue, only for the four to freeze when they heard a terrified shriek of a she-cat and a jingling noise of a kittypet collar.

"Get away from me! Please! Anyone! Get him off of me!"

Mistyfoot raced in the direction she heard the cats cry, further up the Greenleaf Thunderpath, as they got closer, they saw a small gray kittypet with lighter flecks crashing through the undergrowth, her eyes wide with fear, as she saw the patrol.

"Please! Help!" she wailed, running towards them and hiding behind a confused looking Honeypelt.

"What's going on?" Mistystar asked, before she had even finished her sentence, a skinny brown and white tom had run through the pine forest, and skidded to a halt on the other side of the Thunderpath.

"Aww, where you going Speckie? I didn't know you had friends." He taunted, showing his yellowing teeth as his mouth split into an unsettling grin. "Listen forest cats, that there is my new mate, or she will be once she comes with me." Mistystar drew her lips back in disgust.

" _Great Starclan, what a disgusting furball."_

"I'm not going anywhere with you Yail." The kittypet stammered, shrinking to the ground.

"Oh you can't hide forever." He sneered, his gaze flicking to Mistystar as she stepped forward.

"You are trespassing on Clan territory. If you don't leave, there will be a fight."

"A fight you won't win." Minnowtail added, stepping forward protectively. Mistystar felt her worries about the Dark Forest cats relax a bit, it was obvious Minnowtail wasn't a bad cat, she just made bad choices. Only for her thoughts to flick right back to the argument as the skinny tom let out a loud purr of amusement and swished his tail.

"Feisty eh? I like that in a she-cat" he taunted, stepping forward himself. Instantly Littlefeather shot forward in front of his leader and friend, his small frame looking almost twice as big with his fur bushed out.

"Back off." Was all he said, his claws digging firmly in to the dirt covered Thunderpath. Finally noticing he was outnumbered five to one, he took a step backwards.

"Ah well, ah best be going now." Was all he mewed, his amber gaze glinting as he looked at Mistystar. "You can't protect her forever, and when she's alone… I'll be watching her." He let out a raspy cackle, before turning tail and fleeing up the Thunderpath. Once he was out of sight, they All turned to the little kittypet. She looked distraught but she blinked at the patrol kindly.

"Thank you, just thank you all." She breathed, gazing at them. "If you hadn't shown up, he'd have…" she didn't finish the sentence, she didn't need to.

"We don't let cats get hurt, Clan or not." Mistystar replied, dipping her head at her. The small kittypets eyes lit up.

"You are the Clan cats I keep hearing about?! Oh wow, I never would have thought I'd see you. M-my name is Speckies. A-and I'd … Well I don't want to be a bother, but could I maybe stay with you cats? I want to learn how to be rough, and defend myself." She mewed, she sounded nervous, but Mistystar could see the determination in her deep blue eyes. Her fluffy flecked fur shone in the dawn light. She saw Littlefeather eye her curiously.

"There is more to being a Clan cat than fighting." He remarked, sheathing his claws. "You need to hunt for your Clan, fight for the Clan. Die for the Clan if you have to." The little tom remarked.

"Oh yes! Please, I could do that! I-I can't go back to the Twoleg place." She insisted, gazing hopefully at the patrol, finally Mistystar dipped her head.

"Fine, follow us." Was all she said, as the patrol set off, Speckies kept her pace, not seeming to mind the forest area. Her kittypet collar chiming as she walked, scaring off a nearby squirrel.

" _We'll have to get rid of that if she stays."_ Mistystar mused.

"So, I'm Speckie. Who are you guys?" she asked, chattily to Minnowtail, she just blinked.

"I'm Minnowtail. Over there is Littlefeather" she flicked her mottled fluffy tail at him, then at the large gingery golden cat behind her. "And behind us is Honeypelt."

"Okay." She answered, before speaking again. "So what's your name?" she asked, Mistystar blinked realising she was talking to her.

"I'm Mistystar, the leader of Riverclan."

That shut Speckie up, and on the walk back she heard the kittypet meow out loud.

"Woah."

Mistystar walked across the mud into her camp, the whole patrol behind her. She glanced back to see Speckies with a determined expression as she ploughed through the mud, seemingly indifferent to the mud catching her well-groomed fur. Mistystar felt a rush of admiration for this cat. It was clear she could make a great warrior if she stayed. She looked back at camp, she noted Duskfur and Reedwhisker were clearing up the shells and pebbles, while Petalfur was weaving the warriors' dens branches while Podkit ran about nearby. She noticed some cats turn to wave tails at her, only to blink as they saw the kittypet among them. She ignored the strange looks, and signalled for the newcomer to sit down, before leaping on to the Willow Stump.

"Let all cats old enough to swim together, hear my words!" instantly cats streaked out of their nests, out of the stream, and a hunting patrol quickly came running, their jaws still filled with prey. She waited until they were all seated, staring at the kittypet in front of the stump.

"Cats of Riverclan, we have lost good cats to the battle yesterday. Today while patrolling, we came across Speckie. A cat who is willing to learn our ways, and become a full Riverclan warrior." She paused, letting her Clan mutter among themselves, eyeing the newcomer curiously. She noticed from the medicine cat den, Silversnow was sat up, staring in her direction. She tried not to shiver, and the empty eye socket, plastered with herb poultices. She looked back down, to see Speckie just calmly looking at all the cats.

"Are there any cats who oppose this?" she asked, her blue gaze sweeping the crowd. Graymist raised her tail. "Yes Graymist?"

"Will she be getting a Clan name?" the old she-cat rasped. Mistystar nodded firmly.

"Any more questions?" she called. Reedwhisker stood up.

"Mistystar, is she going to her trained as an apprentice or are we treating her as a warrior?" that made her pause, and think carefully, she looked down at the kittypet.

"Can you catch prey?" she asked, the little cat nodded.

"I can catch mice, and birds… Well, when I don't have a stupid collar on." She mumbled. Mistystar nodded.

"What about fish?"

"Oh… I caught a koi fish once." Mistystar blinked, not sure what one was. Speckie picked up on that.

"They're golden, white or orange fish. Large too! About the size of…" she looked about, before settling her gaze on Podkit. "They're just bigger than a chubby kit!" all the cats started talking eagerly, clearly approving of this cat already. "I don't know how to fight, but you can teach me right?" she asked innocently.

"Not myself, I have to run the Clan… Honeypelt!" the golden-ginger she-cat looked up in surprise, she quickly put her leg down and put her tongue in her mouth. "I trust you to teach her how to fight." She looked somewhat unsatisfied but nodded. Mistystar leapt down from the stump, and lay her head on Speckie's head. "From now on, you will be known as Spottedcloud." She felt the she-cat nod, and quietly Mistystar whispered. "It's warriors custom you lick my shoulder." She felt her shoulder receive a nervous lick, and she pulled away, and eyed her collar.

"That is going to cause trouble." She remarked. Spottedcloud let out a purr.

"No it won't, watch!" within seconds the small she-cat had put her back paws against the collar, and started to push against it, her legs shaking, until the collar popped over her head and landed on in the dirt. However, she picked the collar up by her teeth, and looked at Honeypelt.

"Can I keep this?" she mewed hopefully, only for Honeypelt to shake her head firmly.

"The warrior code says we reject the soft life of a kittypet."

"So the kit can't play with it.?"

"No."

"Oh.. I'll bury it then." She mewed, dejected. Mistystar felt her whiskers twitch, and she turned around, and pushed her way into her den. She lay down among the moss and pebbles, and closed her eyes, lulled to sleep by the noise of trickling water, and cats murmuring to one another.


	7. Chapter 6 - Ashfoot

**14 Sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

The moorland was flat here, and Ashfoot tried to walk along. She tried to ignore the pain in her stump as she put pressure on it. However, the burning pain increased until it was unbearable, and she took her weight off of it. Realising that she could no longer lead Windclan as deputy, she began to hobble back to camp, careful to not touch the ground with her bad leg.

"If it wasn't for Breezepelt." she mumbled quietly to herself. "Starclan I'm sorry, but I will never forgive my grandkit."

Luckily she hadn't traveled far, and as she came in to view of the camp, most cats called out to her cheerfully, waving their tails. She forced a smile and waved back half-heartedly. As she entered camp she noticed Palescar trying to impress Daisyfield with a story, however the tortoiseshell looked very bored. Outside the medicine cat den was Hailkit, staring intently at the clouds, ignoring his brother Finchkit, and their friend Applepaw.

She slowly made her way to the Tallrock, where Onestar was sunning himself on the large rocks, with Whitetail, Whiskernose and Crowfeather. As she approached, Onestar opened his eyes and purred at her.

"Ashfoot. How is the prey running?" he asked, before letting out a large yawn. Ashfoot forced herself to look positive.

"Better than me! Plenty of rabbits are about." She replied, before twitching one of her large ears. "Onestar can I speak to you in private?" the small brown tabby sleepily got to his paws.

"Alright." Was all he said, as he followed Ashfoot to a quieter area of camp. She sat down on the soft grass, and watched Onestar get comfortable, before gesturing at her with his tail to speak.

"I can't be your deputy anymore." She mewed tiredly. Onestar didn't speak, but just watched her. "I can't run, I can't catch prey, and the pains I get when I try and use this leg?" she raised her bad leg in demonstration, before letting out a pained hiss. "I never thought I'd say this… But I wish to join the elders."

Onestar's amber eyes were misty with emotion. "Ashfoot, I'm so sorry this has happened to you."

"It's not your fault, all cats lay their lives down to protect their Clan. Remember?" Onestar didn't respond, and she decided to ask a different question. "Onestar, I have a request for who can replace me…" Onestar looked at her, waiting for her to finish, until he realised who she was hinting at.

"Crowfeather?! He had kits in a different Clan, and a monster in this Clan!"

"He has broken the warrior code." Ashfoot agreed. "But. He has mine and Deadfoot's blood in him. He is a fiercely proud warrior. Do you really think he'd let Breezepelt back in to this Clan?"

"Even so, the bad he is done has left echoes in the Clans forever."

"I'm sorry, did you have some other cat in mind, better suited than my son?"

"I…Owlwhisker?"

"The cat who picks a fight with every cat that's bigger than him?"

Onestar went silent, trying to wrack his brains for a better deputy, as Ashfoot spoke again.

"Crowfeather, is not a perfect cat. As his mother I know that more than anyone. He has made many, many mistakes. But remember, Starclan trusts him. He was chosen by them to find us the lake territories. It was him who fought by your side when Mudclaw revolted. Despite learning of his kits, he has stayed loyal to Windclan… He saved me from certain death. Also, I remember a time when a young cat had a friendship with Thunderclan, but sacrificed it for the good of his Clan." As she finished speaking, Onestar let out a sigh and nodded at Ashfoot.

"You're right. Crowfeather will be the new deputy." Relieved, Ashfoot let out a purr.

"Thank you Onestar."

"Only for you, dearest Ashfoot." Was all he said, as he got to his paws, and padded back over to the Tallrock, he glanced around, seeing most patrols were back, he leapt up to the top of the Tallrock. Most cats quickly rushed over, and Ashfoot limped towards the rock, as Onestar called out to summon a Clan meeting. She noticed Crowfeather watching her, and she nodded at her son to show she was alright, as she sat in her usual deputy place, right under the Tallrock.

"Cats of Windclan! We have all fought hard since the Dark Forest Battle, repairing the Clan, and helping one another survive." He paused, as if trying to think of what else to say. "For many moons now, I have led Windclan, but I've always had my loyal deputy Ashfoot to help me make the right decision. But today, we are moving forward, as Ashfoot joins the elders den." Ashfoot heard a lot of gasps, and concerned mutterings as they gazed at her. She felt her heart ache, she was scared at the thought of becoming an elder, but put on a brave face for her friends and family.

"Ashfoot, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?"

"It is." Ashfoot forced herself to say.

"Your Clan honours you and all the service you have given to us. I call upon StarClan to give you many moons of rest." Ashfoot got to her paws, and sat in the crowd with her son. As Onestar continued on.

"Now I must crown a new deputy. I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of Windclan is Crowfeather."

Ashfoot turned to look at her son, amused with the stunned expression on his face. It was obvious he never expected to be deputy. It reminded herself of when she was chosen.

"Crowfeather! Crowfeather!" Featherpaw called out, and Ashfoot and others quickly fell in. Crowfeather didn't say anything, still dazed. Ashfoot looked about, and noticed not all cats were cheering. Heathertail looked uncertain, and Weaselfur didn't look pleased at all. But as soon as he noticed Ashfoot watching him, he quickly joined in the cheering. She narrowed her eyes, but turned and licked Crowfeather's cheek, before padding away, to go make herself a nest in the elders den. Tornear smiled at her.

"You made the right choice you know."

"I don't know what you're implying. Onestar chose the deputy." Ashfoot lied through her teeth. Tornear just gave her a knowing look as she walked past.


	8. Chapter 7 - Cherrypaw

Greencough had spread to the Thunderclan camp. Purdy, Icecloud, Hazeltail and Toadstep had managed to recover. Although Purdy's lungs were a lot weaker than what they had been. However Cherrypaw and Briarlight had not gotten so lucky.

Cherrypaw stretched herself out, trying to straighten her lungs for more air. The young she-cat kept trying to lift her head, keeping her air way clear. However she broke off into a fit of coughing, before vomiting in her nest. Briarlight forced herself to sit up, trying to keep her airway clear too.

"Don't…Worry…" Briarlight wheezed, her voice cracked and fading. "Jayfeather and Leafpool.. Will get more Catnip… From Windclan…" she lowered her head to her nest again, not noticing the drool that hung from her lips.

"I can't… Breathe." Cherrypaw broke off into another coughing fit, and closed her eyes, her head reeling from a splitting headache. "Everything is spinning."

Briarlight forced herself back up, and tried to move her upper half around, to lick the small ginger she-cats pelt. "We have to hang on. Please." Briarlight started licking her pelt roughly. Cherrypaw nodded, but fet her eyes slowly close, losing the battle to keep them open. "Cherrypaw? Cherrypaw!"

Cherrypaw continued to try and breathe, her lungs burning like they are on fire. Cherrypaw reopened her yellow eyes, to see a tortoiseshell and white she-cat padding towards her.

"Mama?" she managed to choke out, suddenly feeling her pain starting to ebb away. Her eyes focused on the she-cat. She looked a lot like Poppyfrost, but her scent…

"Sorreltail?" Cherrypaw's eyes widened, and she let out a heavy gasp. The pain gone from her lungs. She tried to sit up, staring at her shakily. She was vaguely aware of Briarlight panicking next to her, but was unable to look to her side. Her eyes stayed fixated on what was in front of her.

"It's me, sweet kit." Sorreltail purred, stepping forward and touching noses with her granddaughter.

"M-my pain. It's all gone. How…" Cherypaw broke off, her jaw hanging open, a pit in her stomach getting colder and colder. "No. I'm-"

"You've joined Starclan now." Sorreltail murmured, her eyes watering as she watched the ginger she cat look horrified.

"No. No! No! I can't be dead. I'm not a warrior! I wanted to do so much, that's not fair!" Cherypaw wailed, finally able to look at Briarlight. As she got to her paws, she realised she moved free of her body. Briarlight was screeching, shaking the apprentice with her strong forepaws, to no avail. Cherrypaw watched as Poppyfrost and Berrynose ran into the den,only to start crying in grief. Unable to watch, Cherrypaw turned away and looked at Sorreltail.

"What now?" she whispered, flattening her ears, trying to cut out the noise of her family mourning.

"Follow me. Starclan and I will look after you, and we shall watch over our Clanmates." Sorreltails eyes darkened. "I'm sorry I was unable to save you. I would of given my life again over, If I could of changed anything."

Wordlessly, Sorreltail and Cherrypaw padded away. Cherrypaw glanced over her shoulder, watching her family grieve.

" _Goodbye."_


	9. Chapter 8 - Hailkit

**27 Sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Hailkit yawned, and opened his eyes. He was in his nest… Wasn't he? Then… Where was Larksong? or Finchkit?  
He looked around. It seemed like no other cat even lived in the den. The gorse bush was thick, with no entrance or exit. No cats scents either. Hailkit squeezed under bush, thorns prickling his pelt.  
"Any cat here? Hello?" he mewed, staring around. The camp, usually full with sleeping warriors at dawn. Empty. The medicine cat den, which was made out of a crevice in a rock. Was not there. The boulder looked untouched. However the Elders den seemed to remain. A badger set was still there. Hailkit cautiously padded towards it, there was a thick, musty scent coming from the den.  
"Hello?" Hailkit peered in. In the burrow, was three small, gray animals. They had long, black muzzles, and white stripes. One of them opened their beady black eyes, and let out a wail. Hailkit staggered backwards, flattening his ears at the screech. He smelt the badger stink, a lot stronger, and spun around. A large, angry badger stared back at him. Its jaws were dripping with thick, frothy white drool. Hailkit stared up in horror at its eyes. To see its eyes fuzzy and unfocused. It lurched forward, opening its huge jaws, and darted forward towards Hailkit.

Hailkit screeched, and then he woke up. He stared around wildly at the gorse bush. He could smell the scents of his mother, and other Nursery Queens. He stared outside the entrance, he could see the outline of Crowfeather. The warrior was sleeping soundly, his paws twitching.  
Dazed, Hailkit staggered outside, and stared around. His Clan mates were everywhere, chatting, grooming, and playing. One apprentice was playing the loudest, a pale ginger she-cat, Applepaw.  
Applepaw waved her tail at Hailkit, gesturing for him to come over. Hailkit just shook his head and padded towards the medicine cat den. The crack in the boulder was there, and the sweet and tangy scent of freshly picked herbs wafted from the entrance. Kestrelflight was sat just inside the medicine cat den, shaking the seeds from a poppy plant.  
" _Maybe I should tell him about my dreams."_  
"Kestrelflight?" Hailkit mewed uncertainly. Kestrelflight's head raised up quickly, and he waved his white-splotched tail to the young kit.  
"Hello Hailkit! Are you ok?" he mewed, before continuing to shake the plant.  
"I had another dream…" He mewed, tiredly. "I think it was… A badger? It had some kits in a nest, then it attacked me, it's jaws… so much spit came from them, it smelt awful and I…"  
"This isn't the first time you've come to me with dreams." Kestrelflight replied, narrowing his eyes. "Sometimes you see things while awake, some things at night. You've been hearing other cats, and when you see things, you feel them too."  
"Isn't it normal for cats to dream?" Hailkit asked, tilting his head to the right slightly. Kestrelflight shook his head.  
"Not like you do. Hailkit, have you ever considered become a medicine cat?"  
"Medicine cat? I thought… I'd be a strong warrior."  
"Maybe you would, but warriors don't dream like you do. They don't often see things that are sent from Starclan."  
"Are my dreams sent from Starclan though?" he asked. "Why would Starclan send cats whispering in my ears? Why would Starclan show me a badger with frothing jaws, why would-"  
"We can't always understand the messages and wisdom Starclan shares with us. But we can try and interpret it." Kestrelflight explained, getting to his paws. "I will speak with Onestar, about you becoming my apprentice in a moons time."  
"But… I don't want to be a medicine cat." Hailpaw mewed, kicking a small rock near his paw.  
"But Starclan must want you to. We must follow what Starclan lays down for us. You should be honoured. Windclan have always had the closest relationship with Starclan, that's why-"  
"That's why we sleep under the stars. I know, I know!" Hailpaw snapped, unsheathing his claws. "But I don't think I want to do this."  
"You'll come to accept this in time." Kestrelflight purred, dropping his poppy to the ground, and stepping over the gray tabby kit. "And I think you'll make a great medicine cat."


	10. Chapter 9 - Smoky

**A Half Moon since the Dark Forest Battle.**

The rain kept coming throughout the night, making a rhythmic pattering on the old stable roof. The smell of soaked moss and drying horse hung in the damp air. At the windowsill, Smoky was perched. The old white and gray tom enjoyed watching the rain fall, it was soothing to him. As he gazed out of the smeary window. He thought back to when he was a young wild cat: strong, cocky and incredibly handsome.

He remembered travelling from barn to barn, looking for a good place to call home, with a pretty she-cat for company. He'd met many young she-cats on his travels, but none could keep him tamed for long. Until one night, he got into a fight with a dog, and it wrenched his leg out of place. He had ended up dragging himself to the nearest barn, to be met by two sisters. One small and dainty, the other large and fluffy. They had helped him inside, and made a fuss over him… And he stuck ever since.

His ears lowered as he thought about them. Floss and Daisy. He had loved them so much, for such different reasons. Daisy had been so sweet, and caring, always wanting to make sure he was okay. She had her problems though. Big problems, like she seemed incapable of catching prey, or even lifting a paw to help chase off rogues, she seemed very much satisfied being pampered. He still loved her though, he hoped she was okay…

Floss on the other hand was rather different. She enjoyed hunting for herself, and if she needed to she would pull her own weight to defend the stables. Sure, she happily ate food Nofur's brought her, but she did enjoy her independence. If he was honest with himself, he knew he loved Floss so much more.

But she had passed earlier in Newleaf, suffering from greencough. Nothing the Nofur's did helped her, and she'd died somewhat peacefully in her sleep. He felt his heart wrench at the memory, and shook his head, before glancing over at the sleeping tortoiseshell and white she-cat on the straw pile. Coriander had shown up in early Leaf-bare, wanting to stay at the stables. She didn't talk about her past often, but the sundown after Floss had died, she had admitted she had run away from home. Her Nofur's had planned to use her just to bare kits. He had felt so sorry for her, he promised her she could stay for as long as she needed.

As he glanced back to the window, he peered through the raindrop splattered glass, at something in the distance. It looked like a cat. A white cat, soaked by the rain, just barely staggering along. Smoky hesitated. It didn't look like a Clan cat, as it was on its own. Making his decision to help, he quietly jumped down off the windowsill, and quickly scurried along the stables floor, and out the small gap in the wood.

The cat was still limping along, not noticing it was being watched. Quietly, Smoky called out to it.

"Hey? You alright?" his raspy voice made the cat jump, and it spun around to face him. He could see now it was a she-cat, and she had some large claw marks that were healing along her back.

"Get away from me!" she sobbed, her claws digging into the wet grass. Smoky blinked, she had clearly been in a bad fight.

"Listen! I'm not gonna hurt ya." He mewed, sheathing his claws to show he meant it. "Ah just saw ya' in this storm. No cat should be out in this!"

The white she-cat didn't look convinced. "Who else is in there?" she asked, eyeing the stables uncertainly.

"Just my friend, Coriander." He replied. The white she-cat took a step forward uncertainly, as she swayed on her paws. Smoky tensed up, in case he needed to stop her from falling. He felt his pelt starting to stick to him, as it was getting heavy from the rain, and he forced himself not to groan or come off impatient.

"Do you know Vernon?" she asked, taking another step forward, this time only slightly swaying, as the rain continued to soak her think pelt, Smoky started to get anxious, she could catch greencough if she wasn't dried off soon… Wait what did she ask?

"Vernon?" he echoed, he tried to think, but simply couldn't remember a tom called Vernon. The white she-cat's expression changed to relief.

"So you aren't bad cats." She mewed, padding up to him, and letting out a small sneeze. "Ack! Sorry." She mumbled, Smoky just turned around and squeezed back into the stables, and moments later the white she-cat pushed her way in less quietly, waking Coriander up.

"Uh… Smoky?" she called, blinking her tired eyes. He quickly padded over.

"It's okay Cori'. We have a guest." He assured her, only for Coriander to turn her head and stare at the newcomer. The white she-cat just shook her fur out, before approaching them.

"Thanks for letting me stay. I'll be gone when the storm is over." She mewed, settling herself down in a dark corner. "I'm Maybelle." She added, before circling around the corner a few times, before settling down. Both cats couldn't help but stare at the healing claw marks. It looked like she had been…

"Uh, it's no problem. I'm Smoky, and I mentioned Coriander." Smoky forced himself to purr, not wanting to bring up anything else. Maybelle simply swished her tail in response, and moments later light snoring could be heard. The two loners glanced at each other, and Smoky blinked when he saw the fury in Corianders amber eyes.

"Why are you letting a stranger stay here?!" she hissed, keeping her voice down. Smoky was taken aback at her hostility.

"Look at her Coriander! She's clearly been through something horrible." He whispered, glancing back at the cat. The scars showing very clearly against her wet pelt. "What if she's escaped from Nofur's like you have? What if cats have attacked her? She just needs shelter."

"Fine. I just think we should be careful on who we allow to stay! She could be any cat." With that she turned her back on him, and curled up to go to sleep. Smoky let out an agitated sigh, before going back to his own straw nest, and settling down to sleep.

He awoke to hear scraping at the entrance, and opened his eyes. Maybelle was disappearing through the gap, while Coriander seemed to be sleeping through the noise. As he glanced at the window, he saw the storm was over, quickly he raced across the stable floor. And out the gap to see her.

"Where are you goin'?" he called to her, she jumped and turned to look at him.

"I said I'd be gone once the storm was over." she replied, before letting out a yawn. Smoky looked at her, and his gaze flickered to her belly, which moved weirdly. Was she carrying kits?

"I know. I'm having kits. staring." She mewed dryly, Smoky glanced up, embarrassed. Only to see she simply looked amused.

"You don't have to leave! You can have your kits in the shelter of the stables. There is always plenty of prey." Smoky murmured, ignoring the voice in the back of head whispering " _Coriander will be as mad as a fox in a fit is she stays…"_

"Oh… You're sure I'm not intruding?" Maybelle asked, her pale violet eyes glowing with hope."

"Not at all!" he assured her, letting out a purr. Maybelle padded up to him, and pressed herself against him.

"Thank you. I'll be gone as soon as my kits are old enough to travel."

Smoky just nodded in response, as he gazed nervously towards the Nofur's nest.

" _They better not find her kits."_


	11. Chapter 10 - Night

**A Half Moon since the DFB**

The rabbit was racing away ahead of her. But Night wasn't giving up that easily. She leapt over a fallen pine tree, and swerved past a large boulder. For a brief moment she smelt a strong cat scent, only to ignore it and keep running. She chased the rabbit into the abandoned fox den it had ran into. The rabbit tried to scrabble away, digging at the broken down tunnel, but Night hooked her claws into the rabbits back leg, and dragged it out. The rabbit kicked out, and Night felt pain flood into her front leg. Furious she lunged forward, and ripped the rabbit's stomach open, before breaking its neck. The rabbit finally lay limp. Night tried to sit up, only for pain to shoot through her paw.

"Ow, ow…" she gingerly tried to put weight on her paw again, only to hiss in pain. "Guess I'm not going anywhere soon." She glanced outside, it had started out a hot green-leaf night. But she could clearly see clouds forming together. She jumped at the sound of Thunder.

"Great, time to get soaked through to the skin. Again." Night limped further into the den, sitting on a slightly raised rock. She pulled her rabbit closer to her, and started to eat. Nothing to be heard but her eating and the sound of rain as it fell. The smell of freshly hunted rabbit and damp air filled her nostrils. Thanks to the slightly raised rock, Night wasn't soaked too badly. Her tail and paws were wet, but that's it. At around Moonhigh the rain stopped. Night limped out, and looked up at the moon. It was merely a claw in the sky. She grabbed the rabbits remains, and dragged them outside, careful not to put weight on her paw. Slowly she started to dig, using her back paws to kick up dirt. Eventually she flopped the rabbit remains into the shallow grave, and buried it again. "That didn't last too long." she mewed to herself, until she looked up and saw the moon was heading down, almost to dusk. "Ah Fox-dung. Eh, never mind, guess I'm going to stay here for a bit." her stomach growled, with a groan she padded to a small bramble bush to make dirt.

Once finished, she lay back down and despite her best attempts to sleep, the she-cat could not. The pain in her paw constantly throbbing.

Nightshade stretched tiredly, only to wince at the pain of her paw. Sighing, she pushed herself up with her good paw, and hobbled outside. She could put some weight on her paw, but very little. It was looking like another hot Greenleaf day. Night hobbled onto the nearby rock, and sat soaking up the warmth. However she soon smelt an approaching cat, smelling strongly of fresh-kill and pie needles.

Thinking quick, she leapt to a nearby Pine-tree, ignoring the pain in her paw, and climbing up unevenly. Using her strong front paw, her back paws pushing her up, and using her mouth as another paw.

"I'm getting too old for this mouse-dung." she thought to herself bitterly.

She reached out to a branch, and pulled herself up, taking cover in the pine needles. Curiously, she peered through the needles. Out walked a giant, old white cat with black paws. He opened his mouth, drawing in scents around him. Next to him a small ginger tom - no, a she-cat? padded out next to him. She strained her ears to hear their conversation.

"…I can smell a rogue. Female I think." the ginger one mewed. he approached the base of the tree, and sniffed the bark, before peering straight up the tree.

" _Oh fox-dung."_ Night stiffened. The ginger cat stuck it's claws into the bark, and started to claw it's way up. " _It's going to hurt me, I should attack it first…"_

Without time to think her plan through, Night leapt down at the ginger cat, slamming her good paw into it, before landing roughly on her side. Night tried to lift her head, only for her vision starting to darken as the giant white tom approached her. She tried to get up, only to sink down on her side and pass out.

" _Is that… Bindweed? I can smell?"_ she wondered, opening her mouth to inhale. " _Rush too…"_ letting out a groan, Night rolled over and sleepily opened her eyes. In front of her was a small, light brown tabby with dark blue eyes.

"Well, Starclan didn't claim you. See Tigerheart, you owe me a mouse." he purred. Panicked, Night sat up, only to yelp in pain. But she tried to force herself onto her paws, only to cry out and flop back down.

"Calm down! We aren't here to hurt you!" the little cat mewed, raising a paw and putting it on her side. "You broke your front paw when you dived out of the tree and into our deputy."

"Deputy?" Night asked, really confused.

"Oh, she's the second in command. You should be glad she agreed to carry you back to our camp. You really smacked her head hard."

"Thanks for that." the ginger cat mewed as she entered the den. "Until your better, you may as well stay in our camp. We have plenty of prey to spare."

"Oh.. Well thanks." Night blinked. "You lot seem to be nicer than other rogue bands I've met"

"Rogues?!" The ginger she-cat hissed, looking very insulted.

"Easy Rowanclaw." the little tabby mewed, stepping in the way. "She doesn't don't know about the Clans."

"Clans?" Night asked, looking curious. "How are you different from rogues?"

"Rogues only hunt for themselves or their family. We're a Clan. We hunt together, fight together, and train kits together." the small tabby explained. "We care for the elderly, and we have herb-knowledge to heal clan mates."

"There's more than that, Littlecloud." Rowanclaw mewed. "But I guess while she stays in the Clan, she'll find out for herself." Rowanclaw dipped her head and turned away. "I have patrols to assign."

Night turned to Littlecloud. "Did I offend… Her?"

"Don't worry, she's always on edge." He replied, before padding to the back of his den. and pulling out poppy seeds.

"These will help you sleep. Rest well, tomorrow you're going to be swimming to strengthen your leg."

"Swim? Me?" Night let out an amused purr, until she noticed that Littlecloud wasn't purring either.

"Just rest, we'll talk more when you're better."

Night lapped up the seeds, before lying down, and falling asleep.

A moon later, Night had become a member of the Clan. Instead of leaving once her paw was better, she became interested in Clan life, and not having to fend for herself. She became fairly well liked. She was made an apprentice, to Ferretclaw. She didn't take on the -paw suffix, as she was too old to be called an apprentice. She got on well with most of the senior warriors. She even became close to Blackstar. Her sarcastic and witty nature reminded the older cat of Russetfur. Rumor's started around camp that they would be mates. Night always shot these comments down, not thinking the leader liked her THAT much. She became known as a great hunter, and good at building and strengthening the thorn dens.

Not all of Shadowclan trusted her right away. Dawnpelt and Pinenose were sceptical especially since she showed up barely half a moon after the Dark Forest Battle. But she knew she couldn't please all the cats in a Clan.


	12. Chapter 11 - Sandstorm

**1 Moon after the Dark Forest Battle.**

Silverpelt shone overhead, as bright as ever. Sandstorm was outside of camp, on guard duty. She stared up at the stars. The older she-cat was fixated, staring at one of the brightest stars in the sky.

"Can you hear me, my love?" she asked out loud, careful to keep her voice down. The star seemed to shine just a bit brighter at her words. "I have something wonderful to tell you… Well, wonderful and devastating." She bowed her head for a moment, swallowing down a wave of grief that threatened to consume her. After a few moments, she looked back up at the star, and spoke into the silent, dark void of the forest.

"I'm expecting kits."

The forest remained silent, even the gentle breeze stopped, as if shocked at the old she-cats declaration. She bowed her head, as if ashamed.

"Remember, the night before the battle? I know, we didn't expect anything to happen, since we're both so old." she sighed, and drew her paw carefully across the dirt, as if nervous. "Well, Starclan knows, life is full of surprises. I know we always wanted more kits, but we were too busy… Well. I guess now I have the time to be a mother." her voice began to crack, raw with emotion. "I just wish you were here too. What am I going to do? I need you. But… I know your heart always belonged to Spottedleaf. Where ever _she_ is now. " She gazed back up at the stars, her star seemingly dulled, as if saddened with her comment.

"I know I shouldn't think that, you spent your whole life with me by your side. But while I was here in the waking world, I know she always traveled through your dreams. I heard you dreaming. Moaning out her name. But you know what? I never stopped loving you. You stupid furball. No matter how much it hurt" she closed her eyes tight, and unsheathed her claws, trying not to yowl her pain. "I just wish you would watch over me and our kits." she kept them closed, wishing and wishing she wasn't alone.

"Sandstorm?" a quiet, gentle voice spoke.

She opened her eyes, and stared in shock. All around her, she was in a bright forest, seemingly studded with stars. In front of her, was a handsome, young ginger tom, with warm green eyes. A loud purr rumbled in her throat

"There's my strong storm." he purred, and rubbed his face lovingly against his mate."

"You were listening." her voice was barely a whisper. Firestar nodded.

"I heard every word." he murmured, before looking at her, looking serious.

"Sandstorm, I know I wasn't the best mate I could have been for you. I know, I shouldn't have padded after Spottedleaf my entire life. When I had the perfect she-cat right next to me." He licked the top of her head. "But do you know what? I know we were destined to be together, after all… She isn't here in Starclan, but you're still here in the waking world. If you could possibly forgive me for my actions, I promise I will always be by your side, until you eventually join me. We will travel the skies together. Only if… You still want that."

Sandstorm leapt forward and threw her front paws around him, knocking him over. "Stupid furball, I wouldn't have it any other way." The two remained cuddled together, before Sandstorm broke the peaceful silence.

"But for now, I need to return to the Clans. Our kits need me more. "

She looked around, the stars began to fade, and she turned to look at Firestar, to see him starting to fade too.

"I'll be watching over our family, I promise" he vowed. His green eyes shone for a moment then faded.

Sandstorms eyes flickered open. She looked up at the sky. Most of the stars were going away, except for one bright star, twinkling in the early dawn sky. She got up, and stretched her body, feeling her joints as they made a crack noise as she stretched further. She turned and headed into the camp. As she looked over to the Highledge, she saw Squirrelflight stumble tiredly down the Cliffside.

"Squirrelflight, could you go get Bramblestar for me, before you sort patrols?" her dark ginger daughter blinked at her, looking worried.

"Why, are you hurt?"

Sandstorm patiently shook her head. "No, no. I just have some news I think you two should hear."

"Well okay mom…" Squirrelflight turned and started clawing her way up the cliff-face, before disappearing into the den. Her bushy tail just barely visible. Sandstorm padded towards the medicine cat den. "Best go get my other daughter, she'll want to hear the news too."


	13. Chapter 12 - The First Half-Moon

**1st Halfmoon since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Hailpaw plodded along behind Kestrelflight, struggling to keep up. The path was steep and dusty, with many paw prints left behind in it. He tried to step exactly in the paw indents, on to find his legs certainly weren't tall enough. He winced, starting to hear angry, quiet whispering, and it looked like the trail in front of him became more jagged and dangerous. After getting half-way up a steep rock, Hailpaw sat down grumpily on the ground, as he watched a moth flutter by.

"It's too far!" he protested. He knew the problem, while his brother Finchpaw seemed to be growing up taller and taller, he was still around the size of a kit. He still felt like a kit too. The way the Clan always babied him when he saw things. The only cat who took him seriously was Onestar, and even then he wasn't sure if he wasn't being patronized. Kestrelflight let out an audible sigh, and turned to face him.

"I know, the first time to the Moonpool is long and tedious. But think of it this way, aren't you glad you aren't a Riverclan medicine cat?" he asked. Hailpaw glared at him.

"I'd be glad not to be a medicine cat at all. Thanks." He grumbled. Kestrelflight flattened his ears, looking annoyed now.

"We get it, little grumpy Hailpaw wants to be warrior! But you know what? Sometimes Starclan has different plans for cats! You have such unusual dreams, clearly Starclan wants you to be a medicine cat!"

"Well then I hate Starclan!" he snapped. As soon as it came out of his mouth, Hailpaw closed his mouth quickly. He tried not to look at Kestrelflight, but as soon as he did, he saw the pure anger in his green eyes.

"Right then! Get here!" he snapped, dashing forward. Hailpaw closed his eyes anxiously, and raised his paws feebly. Only to feel sharp teeth grab his scruff, and he felt himself being raised off the ground. He opened his eyes, realising Kestrelflight was carrying him. He didn't dare make another complaint, especially not while Kestrelflight walked along a narrow path, with a steep drop if you put a paw wrong. The whispering became louder, and he flattened his ears to his head. Although he could still hear, as he closed his eyes, it seemed to get a bit better. He focused on the sounds of the wind whistling past, and the far away hoot of an owl.

"Wait for us!" a voice called, he glanced to the side, to see a dark golden she-cat and a smaller dark gray tabby running up to them.

"Hey Kestrelflight! Is that your new apprentice?!" the gray tabby gasped, staring at him. "Starclan told me you finally got an apprentice of your own!" Kestrelflight simply nodded, before dropping Hailpaw roughly on the ground.

"Ow." Hailpaw muttered, before facing the two she-cats, feeling his paws prickle anxiously. "This is Hailpaw." His brown and white mentor began. "He is six moons old and he hates Starclan." Hailpaw flattened himself to the ground, staring up at the two she-cats nervously. However they didn't seem angry, just amused.

"Let me guess, you made him walk here?" Mothwing purred. Kestrelflight stared, clearly surprised they took this so well.

"Yes? How is he supposed to get to the Moonpool?" he asked grouchily. Willowshine crouched down.

"I'll carry you there if you still want to see Starclan." She offered, almost instantly Hailpaw clambered on to her, as Willowshine got up and started bounding up the steep path. He clung on tight, his small claws digging into her fur, though she didn't seem to mind,.

" _I'm surprised they aren't more hostile, since the Dark Forest attack was only a while ago._ "

Willowshine skidded to a halt at the top off the trail.

"Welcome to the Moonpool." Willowshine purred. Hailpaw stared. It was beautiful! The pool was shallow, but it looked like it contained all the stars in the sky in its reflection. As Hailpaw approached the pool, the whispering he heard grew louder, but also more calm, gentler. He could make out some of the words they were saying. "Hello." "Welcome." Being a couple. He stared, mesmerized as his mentor and Mothwing finally caught up. Kestrelflight nudged him gently.

"Still hate Starclan?" he joked, seeming to be in a better, more positive mood now. Hailpaw shook his head, still not taking his eyes off of the pool, not even when more cats arrived.

"Finally, I see Leafpool!" Mothwing called out joyfully, the brown tabby rolled her eyes, and Hailpaw forced himself to stop looking at the Moonpool and to look at her. She was a light brown tabby with white paws and a white chest, with large, kind amber eyes. Behind her two more cats became visible. A small, skinny gray tabby tom, with blue eyes that didn't seem to blink, and an old, very small brown tom, who was gasping desperately for air.

"Are you okay Littlecloud?" Willowshine asked, looking very worried for him. He just nodded his head, and staggered over to the Moonpool, before noticing Hailpaw, his blue eyes lit up with joy. "Kestrelflight! I'm so glad you finally got an apprentice!" the brown tom dipped his white-flecked head, embarrassed.

"So how are all the Clans doing since the battle." The gray tabby tom mewed quietly. Quickly the cheerful atmosphere faded from the group. Willowshine pulled a face.

"Tactful as ever Jayfeather." she grumbled, before glancing at Mothwing uncertainly.

"Well we medicine cats aren't the same as warriors. We do not let battle divide us. So. How is Riverclan recovering?" he mewed, an edge in his voice. Mothwing let out a sigh.

"The battle was harsh. Our nests and nursery were untouched. You can't dismantle them with a few half-starved freaks trying. But we lost our Dapplenose, and sadder than that, Curlkit and Mossypaw. Were also victims to the battle."

"But Mistystar made Mossy _fur_ into a warrior." Willowshine chimed in. "She fought like a true warrior during the battle."

Hailpaw looked at the Thunderclan cats. Leafpool horrified at the death of a kit. Jayfeather bowed his head briefly, before speaking again.

"We lost, well you know we lost Firestar." Jayfeather mewed gruffly, his voice shaking a bit as he continued. "We- Hollyleaf saved Ivypool's life. At the cost of her own."

Hailpaw turned his head to Willowshine, who had let out an audible gasp, as she shakily sat down. Murmuring. " _No, not her._ " under her breath in shock. Leafpool didn't look up as she kept talking.

"We also lost Ferncloud, Mousefur and Sorreltail."

"Oh no." Littlecloud mewed, his blue eyes full of sorrow. "Her kit's..."

"A horrible loss. Those Dark Forest cats were not cats, but mangy foul-smelling fox-hearted cow-dirt in feline fur." Kestrelflight growled, flexing his claws in the ground. Hailpaw blinked. He'd never seen his mentor so angry before, even when he said he hated Starclan. "They only cared about power and themselves, never each other or their Clans.

"I don't approve of the harsh language but I do agree with you fully." Littlecloud mewed quietly, slowly shaking his head. "Weaselkit was slain by them too. He had just opened his eyes to see the world. We found Applefur and Toadfoot with their throats torn out. Snowbird had died trying to protect my dens herb supply. Even Redwillow, despite being a traitor, was mourned too."

"Luckily for Windclan, no kits were harmed. But we lost four great warriors. Weaselfur, Leaftail, Sedgewhisker and Swallowtail." Kestrelflight let out a tired sigh and rubbed a paw over his face.

"I miss Leaftail. He told good stories." Hailpaw added sadly, staring hard at the floor to avoid the looks from the other medicine cats. He felt a gentle lick on his ear from Kestrelflight, trying to comfort him. They stood in silence, which seemed to stretch out forever. Until Willowshine spoke up.

"We cannot dwell on the past forever. I will always remember out fallen clan mates. But tonight was meant to be special for Hailpaw." she said, getting to her paws.

"I agree." Mothwing mewed. "We must look to the future for now. It's what they would have wanted."

Hailpaw looked up to see the other medicine cats nodding in agreement. Willowshine and Mothwing walked down to the Moonpool first, followed by the others one by one.

All the medicine cats got silently seated around the Moonpool, and Hailpaw stared at it in awe, his blue eyes reflected in the water.. Watching the stars reflected in the water below him.

"What do I do?" he whispered anxiously. Jayfeather turned his head in his direction, and Hailpaw couldn't help but stare at his large, unblinking, blue eyes.

"Either touch noses with the water, or lap at it with your tongue." He answered coolly, before dipping his head to the water, his nose causing a small ripple on the smooth surface, and he closed his eyes. The other cats soon followed, and Hailpaw watched them all closely. He thought he saw Mothwing didn't do it, but he shrugged it off,. She must have, she's a medicine cat! He eagerly lapped at the water, seconds later feeling very tired… He closed his eyes…

He reopened them almost instantly, and stared in awe. All around him, stars were twinkling in a lush green meadow. He circled around, taking in all the sights, and scents. The second time he circled, he saw a dark brown tabby with a stumpy tail approaching, and a skinny black and white tom. He ran forwards to greet them eagerly, skidding to a halt just in front of them.

"Hi! I'm Hailpaw!" he announced eagerly, practically hopping on the spot. The black and white tom twitched his whiskers.

"We know." Answered the smaller brown tom. "I'm Barkface, I was Kestrelflight's mentor." Hailpaw gasped, and then looked at the other tom as he spoke. "And I am Tallstar, I was the leader before Onestar." Hailpaw let out an excited little skriek, and hopped up and down several times.

"I know about both of you! Some cats say you were the wisest leader of Windclan ever!" he gushed, Tallstar's whiskers twitched with amusement as the little kit went on. "And Kestrelflight is always talking about you, he even has conversations with the air, as if you were there! Ah, I think you two are great!" finally Tallstar raised his long tail for silence.

"While we are happy we've made such a visible impact on you." He began, ignoring Barkface's chuckle. "We are here to assure you being a medicine cat is your destiny." Hailpaw sat down, and blinked, before reluctantly saying:

"I know that really, that's why even when I'm mad about it, I still say and serve Windclan."

"Good." Barkface gruffly mewed. "Because Kestrelflight is starting to think you dislike him."

"Nu-uh! He's a bit bossy, but he's a good cat. I can tell." He retorted, both cats glanced at one another, before Barkface started to pad away.

"I'll go see Kestrelflight, I'm sure he'll want to see me." With that the dark brown tom turned around but glanced back at the small cat. "Oh and by the way, I usually am there with him." With that, he dashed across the meadow, up a hill and then out of sight, Hailpaw turned back to Tallstar, who still had a kind look in his eye.

"Now tell me. What do you receive from Starclan exactly?" he asked. Hailpaw stared at the ground, feeling nervous. He never spoke about this to anyone fully, not even Finchpaw or Kestrelflight.

"S-sometimes I hear talking, whispering. But it's usually jumbled, or too loud to hear." He began nervously.

"Go on." Tallstar encouraged him gently.

"What I can make out though… Sometimes it's helpful things. Like being told what this new herb I've found does. Or if a cat is sick… But sometimes, it's really bad. I hear an angry, shrill voice, demanding I hurt other cats for fun."

"Do you go through with what these cats ask?"

"Only once…I was made at Applepaw, she put a fire ant in my nest, so I-I… I put yarrow in a mouse and gave it her." He whispered, feeling his heart wrench at the memory. No cat figured out he had done it either. Tallstar gently patted him with a small paw.

"But you learnt not to do that again." He added, Hailpaw nodded.

"I don't like cats being in pain. I really don't."

"But you experience more than hearing things don't you?" Tallstar asked quietly. For a while Hailpaw said nothing, before he spoke.

"I see cats. Sometimes not at all, but other sunrises, I see them everywhere. Starclan cats, mingling with others, watching over current warriors, saying goodbye when they die…" Tallstar pulled the small cat towards him in a comforting gesture, and Hailpaw leant again one of his long skinny legs.

"No other cat believes me." He sobbed, before he opened his eyes, and stared at Tallstar. "I saw you! When Crowfeather was made deputy! I saw you, a brown tabby and a cat that looked like Crowfeather, all watching him from the basking rocks!" Tallstar dipped his head.

"That was me. You're right. Alongside Mudclaw, and Deadfoot. See, Windclan cats are the closest to Starclan, I'm sure you've been told that numerous times." Hailpaw rolled his eyes and nodded. "So we do more for our Clan, we bring herbs that can't be found in our territory, we help the brutally injured limp back to the camp unscathed… But you can see that. That is important."

"What about the other things I see?" he croaked out, Making Tallstar tilt his head in confusion. "Sometimes I wake up, and no cats are in the Clan, it's like no cat has ever lived here. Or I see a badger, with white, frothy spit-"

"I think the first thing you saw, was the past. When the lake was abandoned. As for the second thing, I think that's a sign little one." He assured him, before he raised his head and stared off in to the distance.

"It's time for me to go little one, remember. Starclan will always watch you." Hailpaw saw everything start to fade black, and he sat up, blinking. The other medicine cats had gotten to their paws, as the dawn sky turned the Moonpool lovely shades of purple and pink. He dashed over the Kestrelflight, who looked amused.

"Had a good dream?" he asked, Hailpaw nodded excitedly. "Good."

"I want to race you back!" he remarked, and his mentor let out a light-hearted chuckle.

"Only when we're on the moorland, alright? Not the steep path."

"OK." Slowly Hailpaw began to make his way down the steep path, a new spring in his step.


	14. Chapter 13 - Breezepelt

**1 Moon after the Dark Forest Battle**

Breezepelt stared at his sleeping mother, Nightcloud with great concern. Since his exile, he and Nightcloud had been on the run, catching very little prey while dodging patrolling warriors. They didn't know where to go, or what to do.

Currently they were resting just on the outskirts of Thunderclan territory, past the abandoned two-leg place. Due to the lack of prey, their slender frames were even leaner than usual. Breezepelt didn't mind too much, he thought the way his muscles were visible made him look intimidating. It looked like his short fur had been stretched to fit him, and if he got any more muscular his pelt would rip and his muscles would pour out on to the forest floor.

However Nightcloud wasn't coping as well as her young son. She had been a senior warrior for her Clan when she loyally followed his son in to his punishment. She wasn't strong fighting wise – but she was little, fiery tempered and smart. The lack of prey had been taking its toll on her, her ribs were painfully visible, Breezepelt stared, taking in how bad she looked.

"I can't let you keep living like this. I'll catch you some prey, I promise." He murmured softly. He got up, and slowly turned away, heading to the border between Windclan and Thunderclan: The River. He paused, scanning the area for any signs of prey or patrolling cats. He opened his jaws, and almost instantly he could detect the scent of a hare nearby, in a large, recently dug burrow just on the other side of the river.

" _Perfect, hare is her favourite!"_

He looked at the whirling water in front of him, tensed his muscles, and leapt across the river, landing on the other side with no problem. He smirked to himself as he turned his attention to the hare burrow. The opening was large, just big enough for him to squeeze in to and drag himself along. He heard scrabbling up ahead, the hare had obviously detected him and started to panic. Luckily the burrow opened wider the more he inched along, enabling him to move faster in the pursuit.

"Got you." He growled, darting forward, outstretching his claws and feeling the satisfying feeling of his long claws ripping through flesh, the blood spilling out on to his paws. The scent hit his nostrils, and he inhaled deeply, distracted by the smell. The hare panicked even more, and spun around, before Breezepelt could reel back, he saw a strong pair of legs kick out, smashing him painfully right in the face. It felt like his face had caught fire, as his blood splattered along the ground. He let out a yowl of pain, and backed up, before shaking his head angrily at the cornered hare.

"Right, now you've done it." He hissed, darting forward again. This time wiggling over the hares back. He grabbed the massive hare's neck between his jaws, and forced himself to bite down, ignoring the shooting pain that shot through his face as he did so. He felt the hare panic, trying to wriggle away for a moment. Before it finally went limp and collapsed. Satisfied, Breezepelt grabbed It by one of its large legs, and slowly began drag it out the burrow. He knew exiting was the most dangerous part, if he was spotted by either Thunderclan or Windclan, he probably wouldn't get out alive. Cautiously he backed up, trying to scent the air, only to be able to smell the hare and his own blood. Sighing he threw caution to the wind and dragged the hare out of the dirt burrow quickly and looked around. He was unable to see much through his left eye. But…

No patrols. Yet.

He dragged the hare to the edge of the river, and looked down at his reflection best he could. It looked like his left eye had been cut from the hares claws, and was starting to swell. His nose was bloody, but otherwise it looked aright, not broken at least. He'd gotten very lucky. A blow from a hares back legs could break the jaw off of an unlucky apprentice. He bowed his head, paying respect for his kill. Not to Starclan though. As far as Breezepelt was concerned, Starclan had abandoned him and his mother completely, since they hadn't stopped him from being exiled.

" _I don't need Starclan, I never needed them. Nightcloud is all I need_ " He thought to himself, picking up his hare, making sure as he dragged it along so a blood trail showed the hare was going into Thunderclan territory. He leapt over in to Thunderclan, and carried the Hare off and dropped it in front of Nightcloud.

The older black cat opened her dark green eyes, and blinked at the hate, licking her lips eagerly.

"Oh, you wonderful son of mine." she purred, arching her back in a stretch, before sitting up and looking at her son. She let out a small gasp at the sight of his cut and swollen face.

"What happened?" She asked, getting up and roughly grooming the blood off his face.

"I cornered the hare, and he lashed out. I'm fine, really." Breezepelt mumbled, ducking his head away.

"Still, it's a mother's job to worry over her precious kit." Nightcloud retorted. "I'll go get you some marigold to put on those wounds, I don't want them getting infected."

"Really, I'll be fine mother." Breezepelt sighed, rolling his eyes. "Y'know what would make me feel better? Us eating this dumb hare, so I taste some revenge."

With that the two stood over his catch. Nightcloud tore off a hind leg, and started to wolf down her food, clearly half starved. Breezepelt tore off the other back leg and started to eat. Despite being a Windclan cat, Breezepelt didn't enjoy the taste of hare. It was always too tough and chewy and not nearly enough meat on it. However he didn't complain, he just kept eating because he knew his mother wouldn't eat if he didn't.

Once they finished their meal, the two sat in silence, grooming their pelts. Breezepelt stopped mid lick, remembering the argument Crowfeather and Nightcloud had before he was exiled.

"Nightcloud?" he mewed quietly. His mother looked up from cleaning her tail.

"Yes?" Nightcloud asked. Keeping a hold of her tail in her teeth.

"Did you love Crowfeather?" he asked, quickly looking away, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer. Silence stretched out for a while, when Breezepelt looked back at his mother, it looked like she was deep in thought, before she let out a tired sigh and answered.

"No. I honestly don't think I ever did. But there was one cat…"

Breezepelt tilted his head to the side, not sure how to reply, which his mother noticed, twitching her ear.

"I should explain. Shouldn't I?" she mewed.

"Only if you want to." Breezepelt replied. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want me to know."

"Well, if I didn't tell you everything, how could you trust a mother like me?" she purred, before settling down comfortably on the soft, springy grass.

"Many seasons ago, I was just an apprentice. But my best friend was a cat named Mudpaw. He was strong, fearless and above all else? Willing to die for his Clan." She began. Breezepelt looked into her eyes, and could see how deeply Nightcloud relished these memories.

"Soon after we became warriors, I realised something: I loved this cat. But he was so dedicated to his Clan, he always said to others he didn't have time for a mate. I tried not to mind, and I waited. Eventually, after Deadfoot died in the fight against Bloodclan, Mudclaw was announced as the deputy of Windclan." She broke off, looking like she was remembering a good dream.

"I was the one who cheered for him the loudest. Some cats didn't cheer. Worried that Mudclaw was not afraid to battle. Foolishness it was. Mudclaw never lost a battle he was in! But _I_ knew the truth. I knew what a great leader he would be. I always did my best to support him. I knew he was grateful."

"I know a little bit about Mudclaw." Breezepelt mumbled quietly. "Onestar got appointed deputy before Tallstar died. I always heard Windclan elders talking about him, wondering if things would have been better under his leadership. Not Onestar's."

"It _would_ have been better!" Nightcloud growled, unsheathing her claws. "When we finally made it here, to the lake. Mudclaw… He turned to me and he told me this. ' _Nightcloud. I am thankful the loyalty you've always shown to me, when I become leader, you will be right by my side as my mate.'_ I was… Amazed. So, so full of hope. Finally my Clan would give me the respect that we both deserved. The most beautiful kits! But then… Then that foolish old tom ruined everything!" she screeched, dragging her claws along the ground, leaving large marks where her claws had been. "Onewhisker got made the new leader of Windclan. I remember how furious Mudclaw had been. Refusing to believe it. I and Weaselfur stood by him. With Hawkfrost's help, we tried to take over Windclan, we would make it strong again! But then… Mudclaw was crushed by a tree… I couldn't believe what had happened. I was the one who mourned him the most. I dragged him back to Windclan, and was the sole cat who sat vigil for him while Onestar went and received his lives. Weaselfur didn't dare to, that coward. Scared he'd anger Starclan." She sighed, and stared at the floor. Breezepelt got up and rubbed his face against his mother's lovingly.

"I'm sure Mudclaw has never forgotten your loyalty." Breezepelt mumbled loyally. Nightcloud licked her sons face.

"I hope not. But I realised something that night. With Mudclaw gone… I had no purpose. The other warriors didn't respect me, my family had died to greencough. My friends no longer trusted me. I was… So alone. So when Crowfeather came back to Windclan, tail tucked between his legs. I realised I could still have one things – kits. They wouldn't be Mudclaw's. But I knew… They could be just as wonderful as he was. So I hounded Crowfeather, sucking up to him, until that fool gave in, we tried to get on, and then I had my litter…"

Breezepelt stared, not sure if he had heard her correctly. He shook his head in confusion. "Wait. Litter? I thought… I was the only kit you had?" he mewed.

"Ah… No." she lowered herself to the ground, her head on her paws. Her green eyes cloudy with grief. "I should have told you sooner, but… It was a painful birth. Very painful. I had to be given catnip just to cope with the pain. Finally though, Barkface told me it was over. When I looked down, I saw five very small, skinny kits. All mewling and shuffling against me."

"Five?!" Breezepelt gasped in disbelief. " _Cats can have that many?!"_

"Five. Four little she-cats, and one wonderful little tom." She purred at Breezepelt, before her expression changed, looking serious and stormy, like her name. "Barkface called Crowfeather in. When he saw them… I thought for a moment that he was happy. He stared at you all with so much love in his eyes. But then his face changed. He looked terrified. Like it finally sank in we were mates. He quickly mewed they were beautiful, and that he'd go and get me some water… I waited. He didn't come back until night fell. With a small bundle of barely wet moss. " she shook her head disdainfully at the memory.

"I was furious, and forbade him from naming my kits. He pleaded, and told me he was just so afraid of messing up being a father. So I caved in, I am very forgiving after all, and told him I was scared too, and that he could name one of them whatever he wanted." She looked up at Breezepelt, her green eyes a blaze with fury. "So, he sniffed all of you, and gently nudged one of my kits, a little smoky gray and white kit, and said 'She is beautiful. I will name her Leafkit.' I was furious. I knew exactly why he had named her that. I screeched and clawed at him until he left. However she was already named Leafkit. I couldn't change that, Starclan would have already accepted the name. So I named the rest of you myself." She sat up again, looking more relaxed as the thought of her kits.

"The smallest she-kit. A small tortoiseshell, I called Mudkit. My other gray and white kit, I named Cloudkit for her fluffy white patches and face. My very dark brown kit with a pale chin was named Minkkit. And of course, then there was you." She gaze darkened again, and she swished her tail angrily.

"What… Happened to them?" Breezepelt whispered. Not sure if he really wanted to know.

"Five kits need a lot of milk. The Clan brought me the plumpest of prey, Barkface brought me borage… But in the end it just wasn't enough. A quarter moon later, Mudkit died first. Shortly after you all opened your eyes for the first time. They were such a bright amber, just like your own. Crowfeather didn't spend a lot of time with you all anyway, but her death seemed to drive him further away. Then, I caught Greencough, and because I had to feed you all, you all caught it too. You and Leafkit managed to fight it off after a couple of days, and went to stay in the Nursery with Whitetail. But Cloudkit and Mintkit, still weak from the lack of milk, quickly succumbed to the illness." She choked out. Shaking her head.

"I knew from that moment on, Starclan was punishing me for my loyalty to Mudclaw. When I finally returned to the nursery, I pulled you both close and went to sleep. I awoke to the screech of an owl… And the terrified, pained scream of a kit. I woke up, and saw only you curled in the nest. I raced outside, screaming to Starclan you can't take my last daughter. I bet she was looking for her father, who never showed his rotten face…" Nightcloud closed her eyes, and didn't speak for a long time. Finally she spoke back up, but her voice was shaking, raw with grief still after all this time. "I leapt up, and managed to claw the owl in the wing, ripping out a feather. However it continued its ascent in to the sky. I screamed in terror as the other warriors quickly leapt to their paws, and Crowfeather raced along after the owl in to the night …" she let out a low groan. Breezepelt shuddered. Realising that it could have easily been him, and not his sister who had crept out to go and find him.

"Crowfeather came back three sunrises later, his eyes raw with grief, and limping badly. He told us he had chased the owl beyond the Moonpool, and had fallen down the sheer drop side and sprained his paw. The whole clan mourned the death of Leafkit that night. None more so than me. I always kwpt that feather in my nest. To remind me that life is harsh for those who challenge it."

"I-I'm sorry Nightcloud." Breezepelt murmured turning his head away, unable to look at his mother's distraught expression. She didn't respond. Breezepelt quickly padded over to the remains of the hare. "I'm sorry I don't remember any of them."

Nightcloud didn't respond, she was clearly stuck in her painful memories.

"I'll just… Go bury this." He mumbled, excusing himself. Dragging the remains on to Thunderclan territory. He dragged it along the lake side, and dropped it just in sight of the Windclan border, twitching his whiskers with satisfaction.

" _That'll spark an argument between those two mouse-brained clans."_ He thought, padding back to his mother. She seemed a bit better, and had gone back to grooming her tail. Breezepelt looked around, tasting the air. He could smell something faint… A rogue? He didn't say anything to Nightcloud, but followed the scent towards the edge of the clearing. It _definitely_ smelt stronger here. He hesitated, swishing his tail, before pushing his way through the undergrowth, wincing as brambles jabbed through his short pelt, ignoring the concerned call of his mother.

He moved along, trying not to be detected, taking extra care not to stand on twigs. He saw a white she-cat, lay down, enjoying the sun that was shining through the leaves. He crouched down, low, and then sprang out at her, yowling. The she-cat tried to roll on to her paws to escape, however Breezepelt knocked her over and pinned her down.

Nightcloud came crashing through the undergrowth, hissing in fury, only to stare at the loner under her son. The loner was not panicking now, her large ears pointed in a relaxed state, and her large belly wriggled as Breezepelt looked at her. He noticed her claws were sheathed, and her snowy white fur was very, very short and unruffled.

"You aren't afraid?" Nightcloud asked, looking confused.

"Not really. I've been jumped on by you Thunderclan cat's at least seven times this past quarter moon I'm starting to get used to it." She replied, her voice was very soft, and quiet. Her calm, violet eyes were very unusual, with reddish pupils.

"Where are you from?" Breezepelt pressed, loosening his grip slightly.

"Me? I'm just a loner as you Clan cats call me. I'm a traveller. See, at first I was born in a gorge-"

"You don't live in Thunderclan then?" Nightcloud interrupted, unsheathing her claws. "Because if you, we can't let you go-"

"Thunderclan? Me? Do you have a bee buzzing in your ear?" She asked, swishing her tail in annoyance. "I just told you, I'm a loner!"

"Don't speak to my mother like that!" Breezepelt snarled, showing his sharp yellowing teeth. However the loner just yawned at him.

"I'd be more inclined to talk nicely if, oh I don't know… You got your bony paws off my stomach! I'm expecting kits ya' know?" she growled, not breaking eye contact with the black tom eyes. Slowly he got off her. The white she cat slowly sat up, and started pawing at her stomach, checking her kits.

"Thank you kindly. Now, I'm Maybelle. Just in case you cared." She mewed, satisfied her kits were all fine, she turned to look at both the cats, her gaze a lot friendlier. She looked strangely beautiful.

"Uh…" Breezepelt glanced at Nightcloud, they both had the same question brewing in their minds. " _Do we tell her our names?"_

"Oh you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want." Maybelle mewed, sounding amused. "You Clan cats are so mysterious."

"Oh we aren't Clan cats-" Nightcloud began, only to be cut off.

"Well, I figured you weren't Thunderclan. You threatened to hurt me if I was one of them… Plus you have no idea how to move through undergrowth." She mewed, twitching her whiskers. Nightcloud scowled, not used to being interrupted. "So I'm thinking you must be… Windclan?"

The two cats stiffened, and Maybelle just blinked at them. "Well, you are very skinny and prickly tongued."

"Uh… We aren't Windclan cats… Anymore." Breezepelt mewed _. "Why are we still talking to this loner?"_ he thought, swishing his tail. He glanced at Nightcloud, seeing if she wanted to go. But the black she-cat was sat comfortably, eyeing Maybelle.

"Oh? You two loners like me then? I take it clan life was just too repetitive for you?" she asked curiously, looking in Nightcloud's direction. Breezepelt narrowed his eyes as he watched her. She was looking in Nightclouds direction, certainly. But it looked like she was staring just past her… " _Is she blind?"_

"Yes, that's right." Nightcloud mewed coolly, her expression giving nothing away. Maybelle didn't look like she suspected that they were lying to her.

"Well, at least you decided to travel. As I told that Thunderclan apprentice. Sure it's great you have a home. A family waiting for you… But travelling, and seeing animals you've never even dreamed of, and different prey? You can't find anything better." She heaved herself to her paws, her large swollen belly sticking out somewhat comically.

"Anyway, I should really head back to the Stables." She mewed, looking wistful. "Coriander is probably worried about me. Hah! That's a joke, she would rather I just drown-"

"Stables?" Breezepelt echoed, looking puzzled.

"Oh, sorry. You cats call it the Horseplace. Right?" she mewed kindly, blinking at him.

"You live… There? With horses?" Nightcloud asked in disbelief, coming off rather rude. Breezepelt wrinkled his nose, remembering the smell of the horses when he decided as an apprentice to try and impress Heatherpaw, by running up to a horse and ripping for a long tail hair. He remembered just barely dodging the horse's large hoof as it kicked out. His whiskers twitched with amusement. Nightcloud had been furious when he had told her. He tried to ignore the pang of regret when he thought Heathertail's beautiful face, and those deep blue eyes of hers. Her soft, kind smile… He pushed the thought down.

" _Fear, mates and regrets are for the weak."_ Brokentail had always told him.

"I know, it's not ideal. But the place is always filled with dumb, fat mice. Even in leaf-bare. I'm only staying there until my kits are old enough to leave. Then I'm out of here." She mewed, looking pleased. Nightcloud's stomach let out a loud growl. Catching their attention. Maybelle let out an amused purr.

"Hungry?" she asked, her voice warm and friendly. Nightcloud hesitated. Breezepelt knew how proud she was, she wouldn't accept anyone else to hunt for her except himself.

"We'll be fine. We don't need help." Breezepelt quickly cut in, going to stand next to his mother. Maybelle blinked understandingly.

"Well okay. But if you need food, shelter and to be safe from Clan cats…" She paused, looking knowingly at them with her pale violet eyes. "You come pay me a visit. Ya' hear?" Nightcloud nodded, and Breezepelt forced himself to mew out a begrudging " _Thanks."_

Maybelle nodded, and passed by the cats, waving her tail in farewell and she pushed her way through the undergrowth. The two black cats looked at each other. Not sure what to do now.

"Uh…" the tom racked his brain for something to do. "Want to catch more Windclan prey and dump it on Thunderclan territory?" Breezepelt mewed, just wishing to sink his claws in to something. Nightcloud let out an impatient snort, surprising him.

"So that is what you've been doing? Causing petty border arguments?" she mewed, looking disgusted. Breezepelt hesitated.

"Yes..?"

"I expected my son to have a better plan than that." She growled. Breezepelt looked away, his tail drooping.

"What if any Windclan cats recognize your scent? _Well?_ Do you really think, they'd let you get away?"

"I-I… I'm sorry…" Breezepelt mewed, lowering his head. His Clan scolding him? Didn't bother him. Crowfeather scolding him? It used to hurt, but not anymore… But Nightcloud? The cat who loved him unconditionally, was angry with him? It hurt. A lot.

"What would I do if I came across your dead corpse?! My last, most wonderful kit? Gone? It'd kill me! Do you want that!?" she choked out.

"No! No I don't" Breezepelt, mewed, trying to calm his mother down. "I'm so sorry Nightcloud! We'll come up with a better plan. But for now, we- we need a place to gather our strength. Then we will get revenge. I promise."

Nightcloud was breathing heavily, like she had just finished a fight. Maybe to Nightcloud, she was fighting. Breezepelt couldn't help but to stare at her. Her thin flanks were heaving, and he finally noticed the tinges of gray on her muzzle. Reality finally hit him – Nightcloud, was getting old. And if he wasn't able to help her soon…

"Mother. Please calm down. You are right. What am I going to do without you?" he mewed quietly, his voice shaking. That seemed to snap Nightcloud out of it, and she quickly rushed forward and nuzzled her son.

"Mother is here, precious kit. You only need one cat - your mother." She murmured, gently licking his head affectionately. Breezepelt let out a loud purr, and smelt her scent. It smelt like it usually had done. Like the fresh, crisp moorland grass, but underneath that he could have sworn he could smell something else… It smelt like a fever was on the way. He felt his blood turn cold.

"Nightcloud. I-I think we should go the uh… Horseplace for now." Nightcloud backed up, letting out a furious hiss. "No, please. You need to eat, we can't catch prey on these borders, and the prey animals are scared of the scent markers. We'll just stay at the Horseplace for… A half-moon at least. Once you're stronger, we'll work on taking out the Clans. I'm sure we can find other rogues who don't like them… Alright?" he mewed, Nightcloud was staring at him, thinking about what he had said. She narrowed her green eyes thoughtfully, before letting out a sigh.

"This is our best option… For now." She grumbled reluctantly, lashing her tail. "Fine, let's see if we can catch up to Cowbell."


	15. Chapter 14 - Nightcloud

**1 Moon and 1 Sunrise since the DFB**

Nightcloud fidgeted in her nest. Straw wasn't exactly the most comfortable of materials to make a nest from. She wasn't even used to nests if they weren't small dips in moorland grass. Windclan cats much preferred to sleep outside, under the stars where her ancestors could watch over them. Her heart ached to see the stars twinkle above her, so she knew for sure her Mudclaw was watching her. But she knew she'd wake one of the loners up, and didn't exactly feel like talking any more to them. She had to convince both Smoky and Coriander all they wanted was food and shelter.

" _Loners talk far too much."_ She thought, then stiffened in shock. " _But… I'm a loner now? Nah, I prefer Rogue to that honestly."_ she let out a tired groan, and closed her eyes, trying to get some sleep. She heard a cat get up, and slowly pad out to the exit. She could tell, by the slow, careful and quiet paw steps that it was Smoky. She figured he was going to make dirt, and tried to ignore him.

After he left, all that could be heard was the quiet breathing of the other cats, mice scuttling in the straw, and the occasional hoot of an owl. It was relaxing, if you liked that sort of thing. But still, she couldn't relax. She sighed, wriggled around more, and eventually just scraped away all the straw and lay down on the wooden planks.

She thought about the loners, and how different they were. Smoky had obviously lived a sheltered life, and was practically a kittypet. Sure he didn't live with twolegs, but he was still fed by them. He seemed somewhat interested in Clan life, but he'd never last as a real warrior.

Corainder on the other hand? It was obvious she had been a kittypet the majority of her life. The way she walked, the way she acted, to even how she mewed and purred at the Twoleg's who came by to check their cats. She didn't like forest cats that was obvious. It didn't even seem she enjoyed Smoky's company much either. She certainly didn't like Maybelle, she always noticed the angry tortie shooting hate-filled looks at the white cat..

Ah yes, Maybelle. This cat seemed the most like a Clan cat. Having traveled a long way, she'd seen and learned a lot of customs Clan cats had. Respecting elders, good hunting techniques and a strong sense of generosity. Many traits that could be used to serve a Clan perfectly. But instead she travelled. Nightcloud eyed the sleeping queen. Why did she offer shelter to her and her son? Did she feel sorry for them, or something else? She shook herself, got up and fidgeted again, shaking some straw off of her.

"I'm bringing moss and grass and putting it on the floor whether these cats like it or not." She growled, arching her back in a small stretch, before lowering her head to her paws. Finally it seemed like she was finally falling asleep… She became vaguely aware of Smoky scrambling back in through the small entrance, and tiredly staggering back to his nest. But she focused on her own breathing. She stiffened in shock, as she felt a pelt gently brush hers, and opened her eyes slowly.

" _He better not_ …" her fur fluffed up indignantly, when she realised Smoky had indeed cuddled up next to her, and had fallen asleep instantly. She turned her head slowly to look at him. The raised her paw, to slash the stupid old creepy cat in the face. However much she wanted to. But instead just let out a disgusted hiss and got up, and paced quietly over to her son. She knew that if she got thrown out of the barn, she'd probably not last another season wandering around the Clans.

Breezepelt was fast asleep, lay on his back, his tail flicking slowly and every now and then his paws twitching. She noted he must be dreaming, before curling up next to him. They had gotten used to sharing a nest and sleeping together over the past moon. Most cats would find it unnatural. But surely it only made sense, for a close mother and son to do this? She just yawned, and finally drifted off to sleep.

She woke early, to see Coriander leaving the barn first thing. Smoky was still asleep. She got up carefully, as to not wake Breezepelt, and stormed over to the old gray and white tom. Once in front of him, she cleared her throat. Smoky slowly opened his eyes, looking confused for a moment, before remembering who she was.

"Ah, hello there… Nightcloud?" he mewed, his voice cheerful and jolly. Nightcloud just narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why in the name of Starclan, did you decide it was acceptable to cuddle up with me last night?" she growled. Smoky blinked, looking puzzled, before looking around, and seeing where he was lay.

"Oh no- A-ah'm so sorry!" he gasped, jumping to his paws. "Y'see, only a couple moons ago, my mate, Floss. She slept around this clearing area where you is sat right now. S-she ain't with us no more… I guess I just saw a shape there, and thought it was her." His hazel eyes were stretched wide, he seemed very disgusted with himself.

" _Pft, if that's true. Then I'm a mouse."_ She sneered to herself, and resisted the urge to spit in his face. Instead she closed her eyes, allowing her fur to flatten against herself, before reopening her eyes.

"I accept the apology Smoky."

Was all she responded with. Smoky blinked, looking relieved he'd been forgiven. Awkwardly the tom scurried away and out the entrance. Nightcloud watched him go, her lips curling back in to a snarl. She had to do something to him, to teach him a lesson. Coriander too, she could learn some manners…

Quickly she dashed over to Breezepelt and shook him awake. He groaned and looked at her.

"Mother? What's wrong?" he asked, getting up quickly.

"That flea-pelt Smoky, tried to nuzzle up to me last night." She hissed, Breezepelt's face changed slowly from concern to disgust. "I just woke up, and he was there, nuzzling my ear!" Her son growled, and unsheathed his claws as he rolled over, getting to his paws.

"What do you want me to do? Rip his fur off?"

"Tempting, but not yet… I want you to find a place along the river that borders Windclan and Riverclan. Alright? Not just any spot… A muddy, slippery area. Where… Accidents happen." She mewed quietly, her voice smooth as honey. Breezepelt nodded, clearly getting the hint. "Then, once the old tom isn't expecting it, then we'll act."

"What about her?" he asked, flicking his tail in the direction of Coriander's nest.

"Oh, if the kittypet doesn't improve her attitude, we'll have to make sure she doesn't get into accidents too…"

Three sunrises had passed. Smoky hadn't climbed into Nightcloud's nest again. Whether on purpose or by accident. He seemed to be working hard, determined to help Maybelle with her kits. Corainder however, seemed to become even lazier and bossier as time went on. Nightcloud wasn't a fan of vain little arrogant she-cats. Not at all… She was wondering about outside, finding a good place to set a trap, and found it. An old, abandoned hare burrow, hidden out of sight by bushes. Nightcloud peered into the darkness. The roof looked unstable, like it could cave in any moment. She purred, and padded back to the barn, her brain slowly coming up with a plan to get rid of both cats at once.

She noticed Breezepelt was waiting outside for her. Watching his mother approach with glowing, amber eyes. The dawn light seemed to help his bright eyes seem brighter, and more handsome.

"What have you found?" she mewed quietly, glancing at the entrance. Hoping no cat came out to make dirt.

"I found the perfect place along the riverbank." He replied, looking smug. "I had to dig away some of it myself. But it looks natural enough… Just let me know when I can… Keep an eye on him."

"That's wonderful, my son." She purred, bumping noses with him. Breezepelt blinked, taken aback, but didn't shrink away. "We'll have to wait until those kits are born." Nightcloud continued, like nothing had happened. "We owe the she-cat that much for letting us stay here. But the day after." She finished her sentence with a dry, cackling laugh. Before darting past Breezepelt, her claws outstretched. A plump mouse got tossed into the air, and Breezepelt reacted fast, and grabbed it mid-swipe. She smirked at him.

"Go give that to Maybelle, let's keep on her good side. Her kits might be of use to us." She mewed, Breezepelt dipped his head, picked up the freshly slain mouse, and squeezed in to the stables. She knew the real reason she wanted to look after the white she-cat. Her eagerness to be a mother… It reminded her of her moons ago. She just hoped nothing else happened to these kits.


	16. Chapter 15 - Dovewing 1

**Roughly 1 Moon after the Dark Forest Battle**

"Watch out!" Tigerheart called, Dovewing glanced over her shoulder, seeing the ball of moss approach her rapidly. Soaring through the night sky. She bunched her legs underneath her, muscles straining, before leaping up and smacking the moss ball back to the dark tabby. It smacked him on his nose, and he blinked in surprise at her fast reaction.

"You watch out!" she retorted, sitting abruptly on her haunches, and pulling out a scrap of moss that was clung on her pelt.

Tigerheart picked up the ball in his mouth, before carrying it to her, dropping in front of her.

"You've gotten good." he purred, narrowing his amber eyes playfully at her. "But I thought you were busy with… What's his name? Bumblebee?"

"Bumblestripe." she muttered, before sighing. "I thought I loved him, but… I don't know. He's not at all like…"

"Like me?" Tigerheart asked, a smirk appearing on his face. Dovewing didn't answer, she just lowered her head, not looking at him.

"This is wrong, we shouldn't be doing this. If Bumblestripe found out…" she began, getting to her paws.

"He won't find out." Tigerheart purred, his voice smooth, like honey. "He'll only find out if he followed you here. Which he didn't. What did you say your excuse was again?" she began to slowly pace around her.

"I needed some me time." she muttered, her fur prickling. " He believed me too, that's the worse part about this. Why isn't he suspicious?! I would be."

"Well.. That shows you don't trust him, not like you trust me that is." he let out a purr, stopping behind her, licking his lips. "We should have some fun, before we head back."

Dovewing hurriedly turned to face him, whisking her tail between her legs.

"I shouldn't. WE shouldn't. We can't we aren't…" she hesitated, and stared into Tigerheart's amber eyes.

"Mates? But.. Don't you trust me?" he mewed, looking hurt.

"I do but… If Bumblestripe-"

"Bumblybee won't suspect a thing. He doesn't deserve you! All he does is fuss over his sisters, and eat prey. He's huge!" he stepped forward, and touched noses with her. Dovewing still looked very uncertain.

"OK. If you want to be mates with him. Fine." he grumbled. "But come on… Just this night? We'll go our separate ways afterwards. I won't speak to you again, ever if that's what you want."

"I don't want to lose you." Dovewing murmured, lowering her head. Tigerheart licked her ear lovingly.

"OK. Then you won't. But… Please? I just want to show you how much I care about you."

Dovewing shut her eyes, and let out a sigh.

"Fine, but straight after I'm going back to Thunderclan, and we can't meet until after the Gathering. Ok?"

Tigerheart smiled down at the gray she-cat, and licked his lips. When she looked up into his eyes, the dark tabby looked like he was staring hungrily at her, like a juicy piece of prey.

"You have my word, little dove. Now come on, let's see what you're made of…"

"Ow… Ow…" Dovewing muttered, her teeth chattering together. To get the scent of Tigerheart and… Other scents off, she had thrown herself in to the stream that borders the two Clans. It had got rid of the scents, sure. But even being a warm Greenleaf night, wasn't enough to warm her up. As she approached the camp, she saw Bumblestripe had been sat at the entrance, waiting for her to get home.

"There you are!" Bumblestripe mewed, rubbing faces against Dovewing. Before backing up, wrinkling his small black nose. "You're all wet!"

"I fell in the stream that borders Shadowclan. I saw a.. Fish. And I.." she mewed, flattening her ears, trying to look embarrassed. Bumblestripe didn't notice her forced expression, he just looked concerned.

"Since when have you wanted to eat fish? Well, except that one time Rainstorm thought you had."

Dovewing let out a little, tired chuckle. "I was just..Hungry."

"Hungry for fish?"

"… Sure."

He purred at her. "Well, you can't go into the Clan like this. The Elders will think you're trying to drown us all! Come, we can get settled under the Sky-Oak for now." Bumblestripe gently nudged her with his large shoulders, and the two padded slowly together to the Oak. Their pelts brushing. Dovewing felt her fur tingle with guilt _._

" _I should tell him."_

"Here we are!" the large tom mewed, and started to pull down moss from the tree, before petting it into a rough nest.

"It doesn't look pretty, but I'm sure there aren't any splinters in there."

"Bumblestripe?" she began. Only for him to misunderstand the concern in her voice.

"Ok there might be a few.. I'll sleep on the moss, you can sleep on top of me then! Sound good?"

"Bumblestripe…"

"Your right, sorry. I'm pushing it Sorry, sorry.. I'll pull all the splinters out, then you can sleep in that nest, I'll make my own-"

"Bumblestripe!" she snapped. The pale tom jumped, and spun around to look at her.

"Sorry?" He asked uncertainly.

"I just… Listen. I have to tell you something."

"Ok?" Bumblestripe mewed, sitting down on the moss pile before wincing. "Yep, there's some splinters."

"You know I love you… Right?" she asked uncertainly. Bumblestripe stopped looking nervous, and nodded happily.

"Well duh!"

"And sometimes… Being mates is complicated."

"Well… No, you're not complicated! I know everything about you."

" _That''s what you think."_ she thought to herself.

"Right. Well.. You see, sometimes cats change, I'm getting older and-"

"Is this my fault?" Bumblestripe asked, looking distraught. "I'm sorry, I have been pushing it with you. You want me to go? I'll do that for you!"

"No! No I don't want that," Dovewing burst out, before freezing. "Fox dung. This is going worse than I thought"

Bumblestripe let out a relieved sigh. "Thank Starclan…"

"I think we should um…" Dovewing broke off, looking awkward. "Be… Proper.. Mates?"

Bumblestripe tipped his head to the side. "But we are mates… Oh!" he blinked, looking really embarrassed. "A-are you sure? I thought you didn't want kits yet."

Dovewing stared. "Mating… Makes kits?"

Bumblestripe let out a loud purr, his sides shaking with poorly contained laughter. "Well yeah! Where did you think kits come from? Starclan?"

"… Whitewing and Birchfall never explained… That to me." she muttered quietly. " _Fox dung, I can't have kits! I'm barely a warrior! But.. If I don't mate with Bumblestripe… What if my kit's look just like Tigerheart? Fox dung, fox dung FOX DUNG! There's only one option now…"_

"I think we'd be good parents!" She said through gritted teeth. "We won't be alone with raising them, we have the whole Clan…"

Bumblestripe padded forward, and looked into her bright blue eyes. His pale yellow eyes showing concern.

"If you don't want to, and you want to wait. You can we know. I'll never push you into anything or make you do something your not comfortable with."

" _I'm the worst cat ever, he loves me so much. I'm too selfish to let him go, even if I don't love him…"_

"No. Bumblestripe…" She gently put her paw over his, and managed to smile at him. "I'm ready."

He let out a deep rumbling purr, before looking awkward and nervous himself. "Right! I won't hurt you, I promise."

" _That's what he thinks._ " she thought, lashing her tail. " _He won't be baring kits in two moons time. Unless I'm lucky… Oh Starclan, what's happening to my life?!"_


	17. Chapter 17 - Dovewing 2

**1 moon and a half since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Dovewing and Bumblestripe padded into camp, carrying a large, juicy rabbit between them. Bumblestripe was limping slightly as the rabbit had kicked out and injured his front leg. He noticed her worried gaze.

"I'll be fine." he assured her. "But I've been thinking, you're going to start showing your carrying kits soon. We should tell our parents."

"Now? Today?" Dovewing asked, after putting the rabbit down on the fresh-kill pile. Thornclaw cheerfully called a greeting to the couple, before grabbing the rabbit and dragging it off towards the Medicine cat den.

"Um, Thornclaw that was for the Queens." Bumblestripe mewed, twitching his torn ear.

"Oh uh.. I was going to give it to Briarlight and the Elders…" he trailed off, realizing he had clearly interrupted an important discussion from the way Dovewing was glaring at him. "But hey, I'm sure Daisy and Brightheart are hungry too, eheh.."

With that he started carrying the huge rabbit in the other direction. Briarlight however awoke from her nap in the sun, opened her eyes and stared at Thornclaw is disbelief.

"Wow Thornclaw! Is that for me?"

"Nope."

Thornclaw just ignored her and kept carrying the rabbit along, not even tearing off a leg for the she-cat. The golden cat disappeared into the Nursery, before calling out "Blame your brother!"

Briarlight glanced at Bumblestripe, looking annoyed, before sighing and going back to sleep.

"Er, where were we?" Bumblestripe asked, turning his attention back to his mate. "Oh yeah, listen to make it easier for you, I'll tell my family, and you can tell yours."

"How is that making it easier for me exactly?" Dovewing asked looking doubtful

"Because do you really want to deal with Millie and Graystripe panicking about how young you are. With Briarlight pawing all over you in excitement?"

"Er. Point taken. But what do I tell Ivypool?"

"… I dunno. You can deal with that too, she Is kinda intimidating. Haha!"

"So ma', pa'. I've got some news for you." Dovewing mewed, trembling slightly as both cats looked at her.

"I'm expecting Bumblestripe's kits!"

"Oh Dovewing that's wonderful news!" Birchfall purred, jumping up to rub heads with his daughter.

"Wonderful!" Whitewing agreed, rubbing Dovewing's head the other side while Birchfall groomed the other. "How far along are you?"

"Um… A half moon or so."

"Well that is just terrific news, I'm surprised you didn't tell us sooner!" Whitewing mewed."

"Or me." Ivypool's voice could be heard, dripping with raw anger. Dovewing turned around. Ivypool was staring at her with her deep blue eyes, they were narrowed slightly. She looked hurt she had not been told first. A mouse was at her paws.

"I… Thought you were on a hunting patrol with Rosepetal?" Dovewing stammered uncertainly.

"I was, but as you can see.. I'm back." Birchfall stepped forward to his other daughter, his tail waving in joy.

"Well, aren't you happy for your sister?"

"Incredibly." Ivypool bared her teeth in a smile. Dovewing couldn't help but stare at them. Small, white. Sharp. Dovewings pelt prickled, she knew her sister was furious she hadn't been told first.

"Dovewing, can I speak to you while we go get some fresh-kill and… Rejoice over your news?" Ivypool dipped her head and picked up her mouse.

Dovewing swallowed anxiously. "Sure sis', lets."

The two walked together, and Ivypool entwined her tail with her own. To anyone else it'd look like the two were happy and getting along. " _Clever_." Dovewing couldn't help but be kind of impressed with her sister. Ivypool shouldered her sister at the fresh-kill pile, making her stagger.

"Relax Dovewing, it's me. Your sister remember?"

"How could I forget?" Dovewing purred. " _Maybe shes not mad at all, why would she be?"_

As Dovewing padded back up to her, Ivypool dropped her voice to a whisper as she picked through the fresh kill with one paw.

"You are having sudden pains and you need to see the medicine cat." she hissed, narrowing her eyes. Dovewing raised her head.

"Oh! Great Star-Clan! My stomach hurts! Oh, I best go see Leafpool." Dovewing called out, catching the attention of the nearby Cloudtail and Thornclaw.

"Could you do it quietly then? I've got a headache." the fluffy white tom grumbled.

"Sorry, I'll take her there." Ivypool assured him, nudging her sister to the den. She leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Leafpool, Jayfeather and Lionblaze are out 'bonding' over plants, Briarlight is in the Nursery, we'll have the place to ourselves."

"Great." Dovewing mewed, trying to sound upbeat. She sat down at the entrance, and tried to look her sister in the eyes. Trying to ignore the anger that was in her eyes. "Surprise."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Ivypool asked, flattening her ears. "I thought we could tell everything to each other."

"We can! I was just so scared everyone would look down on me."

"Alright, If you say so. I'm orry I'm acting like such a Shadowclan cat." Ivypool stepped forward and licked her sisters head, before putting her forehead against her sisters, standing in silence.

"So who's the father really?"

"W-what?" Dovewing head shot up, her fur prickling.

"I'm asking because I know you didn't want kits yet, Bumblestripe knew that too. And since Bumblstripe isn't a cat who'd push you to do anything… It's Tigerheart isn't it?"

"I- Ah- No it's not-" Dovewing broke off at Ivypool's cold stare. "Yes."

"How did It happen. I _thought_ you stopped seeing him once you got with Bumblestripe."

"Yes, but I… Bumblestripe is just so… Safe? He isn't ambitious, he isn't exciting he's just-"

"He's not Tigerheart is what you're trying to say." Ivypool cut in, lashing her tail. "You know, I thought you grew up after the Dark Forest Battle. Bumblestripe was by your side while you coped with losing your powers. But this? How much of a kit do you have to be, to have done this? What's going to happen when the kits are born huh?"

"I don't-"

"Well what if the kits end up looking exactly like Tigerheart? What if Tigerheart demands you move to Shadowclan to raise his kits? Did you even think about the consequences of your actions?"

"No I didn'-"

"No you didn't, because your precious little Dovewing. The cat who has all her problems sorted out by Starclan!" Ivypool snarled. Her fur had fluffed out, and her tail was kinked over her back. "Listen, you are my sister and I love you. But you are such a stupid furball. Are you going to tell Bumblestripe?"

"Tell him what?" Briarlight mewed, dragging herself over to the den. The brown she-cat looked very nervous as she approached.

The two sisters glanced at one another, and Ivypool inhaled deeply, forcing her fur to lie flat.

"That he should get his paw checked. He hurt it while hunting before." Dovewing mewed quickly. Briarlight nodded, still looking uncertain.

"If you don't mind, I need to get to the herb store. Sandstorm needs some coltsfoot, her paw pads are cracked." without another word, she slowly dragged herself past the sisters, picked up the yellow flower and wordlessly dragged herself away. Ivypool and Dovewing looked at each other again. The forced silence Briarlight brought with her seemed to have helped Ivypool compose herself somewhat.

"So are you going to tell him the truth?" Ivypool hissed, taking care this time to keep her voice down.

"… Are you going to if I don't?"

"No. I'm staying out of this pile of fox-dung best I can." Ivypool slowly turned away from her sister. "But you should know, Bumblestripe didn't deserve this."

"But I did?" Dovewing spat back. But Ivypool didn't respond, and she watched as her sister just padded past her clan mates, past her parents and out of camp.


	18. Chapter 18 - The Gathering 1

Ashfoot limped alongside Whiskernose, following behind the senior warriors as they approached the island where the gatherings were held. She stared at Crowfeather, who was near the front. The tom had his head held high, and was moving confidently. He had clearly settled well into deputy position. Ashfoot let out a content purr, as Featherpaw and Applepaw started nudging each other, pushing one another closer to the lake water. Until Palescar turned around and hissed at them, scaring the two jumpy apprentices into behaving.

Finally the cats were at the fallen tree, and one by one the cats expertly balanced their way across. Boulderfur bounded across. Ashfoot shuddered, watching the log move under the larger cat's weight. Cautiously she hopped up, wobbling precariously on the log with her three paws, as she got balanced. Slowly, one paw at a time, she inched along, until she was at a safe distance to leap down. As she landed, her clan mates all let out proud purrs, she ducked her head embarrassedly, and pushed her way to the center of the island. Only Riverclan had gotten here so far. The large fluffy cats were lay about, sharing tongues and idly chatting. Ashfoot saw her friend Graymist lay down with Pouncetail, and she quickly hobbled over.

"It's so good to see you two are okay!" she purred, only to blink in confusion at their shocked expressions, until she remembered. " _Oh. Right."_

After a moment of staring at her leg, Graymist quickly shoved Pouncetail, and let out a small purr. "It's good to see you too!" she mewed, and Pouncetail quickly joined in, not sounding nearly as convincing.

"How's the prey running?" Pouncetail asked, only for Graymist to glare at him, Ashfoot felt her pelt prickle with annoyance.

" _My foot is gone, not my head! I'm still me!"_ she thought bitterly. She understood Graymist meant no harm, but she'd rather not have cats trip over themselves to try and be nice.

"Prey is running well, as usual this time of year." she replied, nodding at Pouncetail, who looked relieved she wasn't annoyed. "How is Riverclan faring?" she asked, not wanting to bring up the battle.

"Fine, fish is always plentiful no matter the river." Graymist replied, Ashfoot noticed her gaze kept flicking to her missing paw and back to her. Ashfoot flattened her ears, she'd had enough!

"I lost my paw in the Dark Forest Battle! Breezepelt crushed it." The two cats stared, their jaws hanging open.

"T-that's why Kestrelflight came and told us to watch out for him?" Graymist breathed, sounding terrified.

"Yes…" Ashfoot mewed, before curling up near them. "I would have done anything to help him, he was my grandkit after all. But he always thought he was on his own, not able to see what he did have." the two Riverclan elders didn't respond, and just glanced at one another, before leaning forward to share tongues with her. Ashfoot didn't look up, even when Shadowclan and Thunderclan arrived, one after the other. She watched all four clans mingle, cats of all ages enjoyiing themselves. She noticed her son Crowfeather trying to make conversation with Lionblaze, only for the golden tom to shake his head and walk away.

She felt a pang of pity for them. It wasn't easy knowing your kits had grown up without you. Her mind wandered back to Eaglekit, and she wondered how he was doing in his kittypet life. Did he miss her? Did he even remember her? He had been so young when she took him a twoleg nest. It was that or watch him starve... She pushed the thought down, and watched as Onestar scrambled up the large oak tree, and let out a loud yowl, symbolizing the gathering had begun, she sat up straight as possible to listen to the news.

Bramblestar leapt up the tree, his large claws digging in to the bark, as he hauled himself up to the higher branch, perching like an owl next to Onestar. The massive tabby stared down below him. He felt a little queasy, this was his first time addressing the Clans as a leader… Blackstar clambered up the tree next, slowly. The old tom was out of breath by the time he sat on the lowest hanging branch, but he held himself high and proud. Mistystar was last up the tree, but certainly the fastest, seating herself next to Bramblestar, giving him a small warm smile.

"The Gathering has begun!" Onestar announced, before dipping his head at Blackstar. "You are now the oldest leader, you shall start." Blackstar dipped his head curtly, and got to his paws.

"Shadowclan has worked nonstop to repair our camp. All dens have been reinforced with brambles, making any attack impossible." He put a lot of emphasise on the last part, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the cats below him before continuing. "We are sad to announce the deaths of Weaselkit, Snowbird, Applefur, Toadfoot, Starlingwing, Olivenose and Owlclaw As well as the disappearances of Whitewater and Oakfur. They were all fine warriors who died defending Shadowclan-" he broke off, before adding. "Oh and the death of Redwillow, a traitor to the Clans, his death will not be mourned." He announced. The cats below sat in s shocked silence. Bramblestar stared, shocked. He glanced up at the moon, no clouds passed by. Maybe he was right.

"We have chosen to remember the fallen, by planting a bunch of poppy seeds near the marshes so that they may bloom each year. Now, we are pleased to announce Ivytail has had a kit, named Spiderkit." He paused and the clans called out "Spiderkit!" for a while. Even Bramblestar felt himself relax. Kits were a blessing, especially after such a devastating incident. The giant Shadowclan tom continued. "Also we have a new apprentice, Night."

Bramblestar saw a pretty brown tabby straighten up a little bit when Night was mentioned. " _That must be her. Funny Blackstar has recruited a loner, I thought he hated them."_ He mused, twitching his whiskers. He couldn't help but notice the apprentice was staring up at Blackstar with an adoring expression.

"Prey has been running well, and we wish the other Clan's a strong, steady recovery from the Battle." He bowed his head, before looking at Onestar expectantly, the small brown tabby got to his paws, and cleared his throat.

"Windclan is also thriving. The nursery has been reinforced, and the elders den has been redug into a safer den. We are pleased to announce the new apprentices, Finchpaw and Hailpaw." Many clan cats called out their names, making the two apprentices fidget shyly.

"However I must also announce, that Nightcloud and Breezepelt have been exiled from Windclan. Breezepelt attempted to kill Ashfoot and other Windclan warriors." He narrowed his eyes, as if he could see the black tom in the crowd. "Do not allow them in to your Clan, they will not hesitate to kill innocent cats."

"It's true!" Poppyfrost called, as several cats turned to her in confusion. "Once, w-when I was near the Moonpool with Jayfeather, Breezepelt attempted to kill us with another cat… Now that I think back, it was most likely a Dark Forest cat." Many disgusted cats started to gossip and chatter, discussing the troubled black tom. Bramblestar noticed Crowfeather, not taking part in any discussions, but he was staring at Jayfeather, looking concerned. However Onestar silenced the crowd impatiently, raising his tail for silence.

"I have more news!" after a while the murmurs settled down into quiet whispers. "Ashfoot was affected by his attacks, and she has moved to the elders den. Crowfeather is our new deputy." There was a stunned silence, Bramblestar blinked in surprise, then he thought about it. He was young, hard headed, sure. But perhaps being deputy will help him see cats do respect him and let him grow past his temper would allow.

"Crowfeather! Crowfeather!" Lionblaze called out, clearly catching the smoky gray tom by surprise, as he openly stared at his son. The medicine cats joined in, and soon most cats were chanting his name. Crowfeather looked both uncomfortable but also... Happy? He noticed Leafpool was cheering, and how the Windclan deputy was openly staring at her.

"I guess love never really fades." he realized, glancing down at his deputy Squirrelflight. The dark ginger she-cat glanced up at him. Clearly she had the same thought.

"However we must also announce the deaths of Webfoot, Leaftail, Weaselfur, Sedgewhisker and Swallowtail. Wonderful, brave and noble cats, and we sure they are held in high regard by Starclan. We remember the fallen with a newly dug up sunning rock, with five long claw marks etched into it." With that Onestar sat back down, and Mistystar got up, wobbling a little on the branch.

"Riverclan have repaired the slight dent in the warriors den the Dark Forest cats managed to make." Many amused purrs could be heard from the crowd. "We are sad to announce the death of Curlkit, Grasspelt, Mossypaw and Dapplenose." Bramblestar saw Duskfur lower her head, and he felt a pang of sympathy towards her.

" _You aren't the only cat who lost their kit in battle."_ He thought silently, thinking about Hollyleaf.

"Prey is plentiful, as always. We also proud to announce a new warrior, Spottedcloud. Who is currently at camp. Our fallen will be remembered by small paddling pool we dug out for our kits to play and learn safely." Mistyfoot nodded at as she sat down. Bramblestar, forced himself to his paws, shaking slightly.

"You may have guessed by me standing here, but Firestar died in the Dark Forest Battle, after killing Tigerstar." He saw most of the clan cats bow their heads in respect, even Onestar, Blackstar and Mistystar. "He was a noble and just leader. I think it's safe to say all four clans will remember him for as long as we all stand." Bramblestar went quiet, and bowed his head. The clans sat in silence fot a few moments, before he heard Lionblaze call out.

"Firestar! Firestar!" quickly more and more cats joined in, until the whole crowd of cats were joining in. Bramblestar glanced up at the stars, and noticed Silverpelt seemed to be shining brighter than before." slowly the crowd died down, and he continued his speech.

Other deceased include Mousefur, Sorreltail, and… Hollyleaf." A heavy silence hung over the Clan. Bramblestar knew it was due to Hollyleaf not being respected by the other clnans since her incident. So he quickly continued. "However during the battle, a litter of kits were born belonging to Brightheart! There are two toms and a she-cat. All healthy." The cats all murmured approval. Brightheart was a well-respected and liked cat with in all the cats.

"As well as the birth of Firestar's last kit, Goldenkit." At that, the Clans all paused, before eager cheering rang out.

"Firestar! Goldenkit!" they echoed into the night sky. Bramblestar let out a purr, as even the leaders joined in.

"Our camp has almost been fully repaired. To remember our fallen, we have a large barkless stick propped under the Highledge, with claw marks representing each cat. We are also prepared for anything if the Dark Forest are still planning things." He finished, realizing that came off as a potential threat, he added on quickly. "After talking with Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Dovewing. We thought it was best to announce the prophecy has been fufilled. They no longer have their powers." as he finished, he saw a lot of cats start muttering to each other noisily. He saw Lionblaze and Dovewing shifting uncertainly under every cats gaze. Jayfeather looked bored as ever and unaffected by the curious looks. As he looked around he saw the leaders went to leap down, he quickly called out.

"Could the clans not go back so soon?" The leaders all turned, looking confused.

"I think the clan's would do well, just to spend a little extra time talking after what has happened." There was a pause, before Mistystar nodded her head in agreement. Blackstar and Onestar glanced at each other, before dipping their heads.

"Fine, the gathering will end once the moon starts to fall." Onestar agreed, leaping down the tree and heading towards Ashfoot, and some Riverclan cats.

Dovewing got to her paws, glancing about. Ivypool nor Bumblestripe had come tonight. She eyed the crowd carefully, looking for _him_.

Unable to see him, she sighed and went to go into the forest part of the island, she was stopped by a bunch of curious cats from other clans. She recognized Hailpaw, Kestrelgliht's new apprentice among them.

"What was it like to have powers?" he asked, his blue eyes wide with awe. Dovewing felt her paws prickle with annoyance, but forced herself to remain polite.

"It felt normal to me. Being able to see and hear everything that was going on around the lake." she mewed, when a Shadlowclan cat, Shrewfoot came forward.

"So like, you could hear all of us? At all time." she sounded alarmed by this. Dovewing felt her whiskers twitch with amusement.

"Not all the time, It took me a long time to block out all the noises and sights I could see. So then it only extended to Thunderclan territory. When I needed it to, that is." she saw another cat, from Riverclan this time open his mouth to speak. She groaned inwardly. She didn't want to spend the night talking about her! "No more questions please! Excuse me." was all she said, shouldering her way past the other cats. She padded further in to the island, planning on making dirt, when she heard two cats purring deeper in the bushes, curious, she cautiously padded forwards. To see Minnowtail with another cat sharing tongues with a tom she couldn;t make out clearly. However as she got closer, she stepped on a twig. Minnowtail whipped her head around, looking terrified. Dovewing managed to duck out of view, unseen. She heard the other cat murmur. "We _should go_."

Quietly, before she could creep away. Minnowtail roughly pushed her way through the undergrowth, muttering insults as she went, not noticing she had been a whisker length from Dovewing. Once her gray dappled back was out of sight, Dovewing pushed her way further into the undergrowth, sniffing hopefully. She still had to learn how to survive without her powers. Finally, she smelt his wonderful scent nearby.

"Tigerheart?" she whispered, only to feel rough paws press down on her, and very quickly she was crushed. She heard a familiar, rumbling purr, and she sighed impatiently.

"Ha. Ha. Funny. Get off you furball!" she grumbled, quickly he got up, and helped her up by pulling her scruff. He quickly backed up, on to his back haunches, and chuckled at her.

"Miss me, little dove?" he asked gently, she purred, before stopping herself.

"I need to tell you something." She hissed urgently. Tigerheart, sensing it was serious, plopped back onto all fours and stared at her with wide amber eyes. "I-I'm expecting kits." His wide eyes stretched so wide, you could see the whites around them, before he let out a loud rumbling purr.

"That's wonderful!" he mewed, leaning forward and nuzzling her, Dovewing couldn't help but nuzzle back, though she felt herself freeze.

"What are we going to do about this?" she whispered, making Tigerheart stop. "Everyone thinks Bumblestripe is the father."

"Why would they think that? You didn't- You did didn't you." His tone changed to confused, to angry, and hurt pretty fast. "Why?!"

"I didn't know what else to do!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "I thought if I mated with him, the kits would look more like my family!" Tigerheart just glared, but didn't say anything for a while. "I love you so much Tigerheart, but what do you think will happen if I have kits that look like you?" he looked away, his tail swishing in annoyance. "Well? Would you be willing to join Thunderclan to help raise them?" she asked, somewhat hopefully. Tigerheart let out a sigh.

"I don't know if that can happen… What about you joining Shadowclan?"

"I can't do that!" she yelped, horrified. "I'm part of the three!"

"But you no longer have your powers. The three is no longer needed" was all he said, before letting out a sigh. From the clearing, Rowanclaw was shouting his name. "I have to go. I understand why you did it, but it… Hurts." Tigerheart sighed, and turned to leave.

"See you at the abandoned twoleg place at half-moon?" she asked, hopefully. Tigerheart just dipped his head curtly before ploughing through the undergrowth.

"Coming Ma'!" he called, shaking the brambles and leaves off of his pelt, as he walked side-by-side with Rowanclaw across the clearing, and out of sight.


	19. Chapter 19 - Heathertail

**1 Moon and 24 sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Heathertail groaned, and started to close her eyelids, despite the panicked voices of Whitetail and Kestrelflight. She tried to move her mouth to tell them she was OK. But nothing happened. Everything felt like so much effort. She was vaguely aware that two paws were shaking her while another started dabbing cobwebs on her wound.

"Let me _sleep._ " She groaned wearily, her dark, smoky eyes closing. " _I'm tired of kitting…"_ The voices seemed to fade away, almost entirely. Confused that they stopped bothering her, she opened her eyes and blinked in confusion. All around her, she was surrounded by fog. She tried to peer through it, but it hung around in thick, dense clouds.

"Anyone here?" She mewed, feeling her paws tingle with uncertainty. " _Is this a dream?_ " she wondered. She circled around a few times, trying to get a glimpse of anything, trees, rocks, anything. But nothing was visible. Not even grass. Cautiously she started to slowly creep forward, not sure what direction she was going, but she pressed on. Knowing that there must be something out there. As she walked along, she began to feel she was being watched. But every time she looked around, nothing could be seen, not even a faint outline. Just gray, thick, cold fog.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice wobbling with fear. She heard a loud hiss, and she quickly started to race away, her long skinny Windclan limbs helping her race along at a rapid pace. However she couldn't see ahead of her, she didn't even _know_ if she was getting away. She glanced over her shoulder, and let out a panicked screech. A large cat, was ambling towards her. It was huge! Almost as big as the Tallrock. Much, much bigger than the average cat. It lurched unevenly as it ran, letting out loud groaning noises. She forced herself not to keep looking at it as she ran, and looked back in the direction she was racing to. In the distance, she thought she could see what looked like a large, green forest coming into view as her muscles strained.

"Oh thank Starclan." She panted, forcing her tiring muscles to carry her into the forest, through the bushy thick undergrowth. It all becoming a green and brown blur as she raced on, towards a small fox burrow.

" _I hope this works…"_ She shot through the tunnel, and into the small den opening. She quickly became aware the scent of fox was very stale. So it might not cover her tracks.

She forced herself to slow her breathing, as she wriggling around, facing the entrance, her claws unsheathed. She could hear the cat crashing through the forest, letting out desperate and confused moans and groans. As if asking where she was. She saw a large, twisted paw stop outside the entrance to the fox den. " _Its paws are as big as my head!"_ She realized with a jolt, clamping her paws over her mouth, trying to not scream as another large paw came into sight. She could see now its pelt was a smoky, shadow colour, with very thick fur. She saw a mouth come in to view, tasting the air… Then another mouth appeared, mewling pitifully, like it was a kit who wanted its mother. She let out a confused gasp, and started to quietly scoot backwards, disappearing further in to the fox tunnel.

She let out a large screech, as the roof of the fox tunnel was dug away, dragging Heathertail in to the open. Horrified, she stared right at her large hunter. It stared back, its two mouths drawn back in a happy expression. It let out a happy noise, it shadowy gray and black fur smooth. Heathertail retched at the sight of this… _Thing._ This cats face… Was completely wrong. It had a normal face at first, big ears, bright yellow eyes, and a large, slightly crooked mouth, drool dripping from it. But then you focus on the right eye. Next to that was another eye, very close by it. That eye was more amber in colouration. A smaller muzzle was visible, another ear… Heathertail retched again in shock.

"You have two faces!" she gasped, feeling herself sway on her paws. The cat nodded, and let out a loud happy yowl, making Heathertail's ears ring. She shook her head, trying to clear it.

"Heathertail!" It yowled again, and again, and again.

"No.. Stop." Heathertail whispered, covering hew paws with her face. Vaguely aware of a paw jabbing her.

"Heathertail! Heathertail!" they continued, getting louder and louder. Heathertail let out her own, distraught wail, and feeble batted out with a paw, feeling it collide with some short fur.

"Heathertail!" A familiar voice shouted. Gasping, Heathertail sat up, opening her eyes, before blinking, allowing her eyes to adjust. She wasn't in a forest, she was in the unfinished nursery. The entrance shook, and she guessed someone had just left to get Kestrelflight. In front of her, Onestar and Whitetail were stood, staring at her, looking terrified but relived. She grabbed both of her parents, and pulled them towards her letting out a loud, happy purr.

"I'm … Alive?" she asked, looking at them uncertainly. She carefully started to touch Onestar's face, making certain she wasn't dreaming. He let out a happy _mreow_. She gazed around. Whitetail's kits, Patchkit and Limpkit – her brothers – were curled up fast to sleep in their nest. Only a quarter moon old themselves.

"We thought you were going to join Starclan… You didn't even stay awake through your kitting. You just lay there, thrashing and yowling." He murmured, his voice raw with grief. Heathertail blinked, and vaguely became aware of a burning, aching pain from inside her. She glanced down, and notices something – she had no kits.

"W-what. Where are my kits?" she gasped, forcing herself to her paws. "I was sure I had at least one-" she stumbled, and Whitetail dashed forward, letting her lean on her.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Whitetail assured her licking her ear. "Because you were fitting, Kestrelflight took them to the medicine cat den, so they wouldn't be injured and to check them. Daisyfield is with them."

"Them?! I-I had more than one?!" She gasped, her eyes brightening. It felt like all her pain started to fade away.

"Yes. Two she-kits and a tom he told us." Onestar mewed, looking proud. "He didn't let us see them. He said they needed to be kept warm and safe while we stayed here with you. But I'm so proud of you Heathertail." He licked the top of her head, then leaned over to lick Whitetail's nose. "I'm proud of both my wonderful she-cats. To think, my bloodline is still flowing strong though both litters of kits." He licked Whitetail again, and glanced at the entrance, scowling.

"Kestrelflight should have been back by now, I sent Harespring to get him…"

Right on cue, Kestrelflight forced himself through the entrance, a bundle of herbs in his jaws. Behind him Hailpaw was trailing behind him, carrying borage leaves, looking bored. Kestrelflight spat the herbs down and looked at the family of cats. The medicine cat's fur looked matted, sticking up at odd angles. Heathertail felt a pang of guilt. It was obvious he was struggling to look after the entire Clan on his own.

"Before you go anywhere, or do anything, you need to rest." Kestrelflight mewed firmly, pushing the bundle of herbs towards her. "Here. I've brought you some burnet for strength, borage leaves for milk…" he flicked his tail towards the herb pile. Getting the hint, Hailpaw dropped the leaves on to the pile. "Chevril for your wounds… Oh, and juniper berries for a better taste."

"Wounds?" she echoed.

"Yes. Your last kit got stuck once you passed out. I had to pull it out myself-"

"Great Starclan! Could have done without that knowledge." Heathertail groaned, shuddering in disgust. Before she looked up. "H-how are my kits? Can I see them?" Kestrelflight hesitated, looking somewhat alarmed.

"N-not right now, I'm still making sure your kits are… Healthy." He mewed, fidgeting. Hailpaw blinked and spoke up as Heathertail started to eat the herbs.

"One of them looks weird." He remarked calmly, Kestrelflight jumped and stuck his tail in the kits mouth, silencing him.

"Funny?" she echoed through a mouthful of herbs. Her eyes widening. Onestar and Whitetail looked at each other in alarm.

"It's… I-I. Ah… " Kestrelflight stuttered, his white speckled pelt bristling with fear. "Onestar, Whitetail, you can come see them with me in a moment to see them. Hailpaw… Go play outside with Finchpaw would you?" he growled, giving the kit a scowl. Hailpaw looked upset, obviously not realising what he had said was bad, and slinked out of the den.

"What did he mean ' _funny_ '?" Onestar asked, narrowing his eyes at the medicine cat. He quickly got to his paws, and swished his tail towards the entrance.

"We-we'll go see them and bring them to Heathertail." He mewed, dodging the question and quickly leaving the den. Whitetail and Onestar glanced back at her, trying to reassure her.

"I'm sure Hailpaw meant new-born kits look funny dear." Whitetail mewed, giving her a comforting lick as Onestar left the den.

"If that's the case, then I'm a mouse." Heathertail muttered.

Her mother quickly followed after her mate, not responding but waved her tail cheerfully at the she-cat as she disappeared from view. She sat there, listening for the sound of paw steps. Only to hear a fur-tingling cry of confusion from Whitetail. She swallowed nervously, sheathing and unsheathing her claws.

" _My kits haven't…? No, they couldn't have."_ She pushed the thought away. She heard paw steps approaching the den, and she sat up in her nest, forcing herself to look hopeful. Onestar pushed his way in first, a cat dangling from his jaws. She gazed at her kit. The vaguely remembered the kits spiky, dappled brown pelt. "That was my first born!" she mewed eagerly. Onestar nodded, not looking her in the eyes as he put it down next to her. "We uh… Do you have a name for her?" he asked, still not looking at her.

"Oh uh… Not yet. I'll name them all once they are here. With me." Heathertail replied, pulling the small kit close to her. Onestar let out a worried sigh as they heard more paw steps. Whitetail pushed her way in the den. A small white and brown tom was wailing quietly. Whitetail looked like she wanted to cry too, as she gently lowered the kit next to her daughter's belly. Both kits squirmed, obviously healthy. So the problem, what had scared Whitetail… Hadn't been these kits.

"Where is my other kit?" Heathertail choked out, not sure she wanted to know. Her parents glanced at each other, as Kestrelflight padded in. Heathertail didn't say anything as she looked at the kit. She didn't blink. She didn't even breathe. The cat Kestrelflight carried, was a smoky, gray cat … With two, sleepy faces.

Heathertail finally found her breath, and let out a screech of horror.

"T-t-that's the cat from my dreams! Get it away from me!" she snarled, lashing out at the medicine cat. Kestrelflight sighed and lowered the cat down to the ground.

"Heathertail. This is the kit that got stuck. The kit I fought so hard to save. I know she looks… But you can't just turn her away. She's your kin."

The pale brown tabby just shook her head in disbelief. When the two-faced kit wailed for milk, she pushed it further away with her tail. Sighing, Kestrelflight turned to Whitetail.

"You are the only other queen producing milk…" he began.

"Oh no. No. I'm sorry Kestrelflight but… Look at it. I can't cope feeding that…"

"Then this kit. A blessing from Starclan. Will die because of your selfishness!" Kestrelflight spat out, his fur standing on end. Onestar got up, snarling.

"This kit is not a blessing from Starclan. You know what it is? That little dung-face is a curse from the Dark Forest, thanks to Breezepelt! Just look at it!" he growled, Kestrelflight just stared in disbelief.

"Onestar, you can't be serious? It's just a kit. A kit with your blood-" Kestrelflight rolled on to his back quickly, as Onestar lashed out at him.

"That kit is nothing to do with me. Or my family." He growled, looking in disgust at it. The kit was scared now, mewling in confusion and hunger. Heathertail stared at it, and felt her heart began to break.

"Is the Dark Forest blaming me?" She asked out loud, her voice a hoarse whisper. Kestrelflight got to his paws, and shook his head at her, trying to calm her down.

"No, Heathertail they aren't. Starclan wouldn't allow that. It-"

"It's Breezepelt they wanted to punish!" Onestar finished, furiously lashing his tail. "We let him go… Now they are furious with us. Look at it! It even looks like _him_!"

Heathertail gazed at the kit, trying to ignore its flaws for a moment. Aside from the obvious pelt colours, it also had her mates long tail and lean body. She felt her fur crawl and she looked at her daughter. It must be a sign. That the only one that resembled her mate was the horrific abomination. No kit like this had ever been born before.

"If they were mad at us, I think I'd of been told that. Actually." Kestrelflight snapped, his temper flaring up.

Heathertail flattened herself to the ground. She'd never seen her kit hood friend get this angry before. Ever. "Starclan wouldn't let this kit be born just to have its chance of life to be snatched away so soon! It's breathing, it's mewling, and sure she has two faces. But you know what? She is a healthy kit any sensible mother would be happy to have!" he lashed his tail, quickly realizing there was no speaking sense to them. He just gave them a long, furious look.

"So this is how it is? You'll let it die? In the camp?" he asked, shaking his head.

"No." Onestar replied. Kestrelflight's ears pricked up, looking wary, but hopeful. "I will drop the kit outside the Windclan border myself." Kestrelflight's face turned to one of raw disgust.

"If you do that, I'll-"

"You'll what? Stop being a medicine cat? Starclan knows you won't do that, it'd kill your clan." Onestar retorted. Kestrelflight hung his head, not looking at him. But his green, tired eyes stared at Heathertail pleadingly. She hesitated, but turned her head away. Ignoring the fact she knew the medicine cat was staring right at her.

Kestrelflight stood there, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Fine. You go send this kit to die, I will explain to the Clan what is going on." He muttered, storming out of the den. Onestar sighed and turned to his family.

"This is for the best. Okay? Starclan is angry with us… For Breezepelt's selfish agenda. If we get rid of this kit, we'll be safe." He mewed. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. Without another word, he picked up the kit and padded out of the nursery briskly. Heathertail lowered her head on to her paws, and let out a tired, defeated wail. Ignoring the grooming Whitetail did to her.

"It'll be okay. Starclan won't be mad at us now." Whitetail muttered, seemingly to herself.

Heathertail didn't even respond, as she felt her heart break into two. She just closed her eyes and blotted out everything around her.

"Heathertail? You awake?" she heard a gentle voice say to her, she opened her eyes and stared around, trying to figure out who spoke to her. She saw a white and brown pelt seemingly illuminated by the stars and moon. She knew it was Harespring, Kestrelflights brother. She swallowed nervously, is he going to be angry about the kit?

"Hey Harespring." she mewed, quietly. "I am now."

"Can I enter the nursery?" he asked. "I'd like to speak with you in private."

Heathertail glanced around the nursery. Whitetail and her kits were sound asleep. But she knew Limpkit had very sharp hearing.

"I think we should go for a walk instead. Anyone could over hear us, you know?" she replied, keeping her voice low. She slowly stood up, as to not awaken her kits. She looked at them as she stood up, and felt her heart swell with love. She turned her head, to see Harespring looking at them through the holes in the nursery. He looked so proud of them, despite them not being his. Quietly, Heathertail stepped over her kits and pushed her way through the entrance.

"Let's go to the lake." Harespring purred. Heathertail nodded, and the two carefully made their way across the camp, taking extra care to not step on any apprentice of warrior paws and tails. She hesitated as she stepped over Crowfeather. Even in his sleep, the deputy's expression was pained.

" _I bet he blames himself for my kit."_ she realized. Quickly she moved away from him, and followed Harespring up the grassy slope that led to the lake. As she walked up the ramp, she felt her stomach hurt, and she stumbled. However Harespring quickly moved to her, so she could lean against him while she got her breath back.

"You OK? Do you need to go back to the nursery?" Harespring whispered into her ear, sounding very concerned.

"I'm fine Harespring, really." she murmured, glancing back down the slope to the camp. She noticed Onestar was not back yet. She forced herself not to think about what's going on as she straightened back up. "I'll just feel better once we get up the slope."

"Alright, just lean on me if you need to." he replied.

Heathertail nodded, and leaned against the muscular tom as they made their way to the top of the slope. Though she quickly straightened up when she saw Palescar on guard duty. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea about the two of them.

The furless cat turned his head, and waved his skinny tail at them. Before wordlessly turning his head back towards the hills.

Harespring and Heathertail continued ahead, until out of earshot Harespring remarked.

"Do you think he ever misses his loner life?"

"Honestly? I forgot he ever was one." Heathertail replied, swishing her tail. "We were only kits when he joined right?"

"Right." He nodded. "Did he ever say why he left that life behind?"

"I'm not sure." she mewed, her ear twitching uncomfortably. "Why don't you ask him?"

"I couldn't do that! It'd be so awkward." Harespring replied quickly, his fur fluffing up.

The two went back to walking in silence again, until the lake shore was a tree-length away. Heathertail saw the sun was starting to rise, turning the dark sky a pinkish-orange.

"So did we come all this way just to discuss Palescar?" Heathertail mewed, sitting herself down on the soft grass. Harespring shook his head, before laying down in front of her.

"No, I wanted to talk about your kits." this made her stiffen in alarm, but she tried not to give away her fear.

"Oh?" Was all she managed to say.

"I know what happened with your kit. Kestrelflight made sure everyone knew _exactly_ what happened." he said, his tail tip twitching.

Heathertail didn't respond, she didn't even meet his gaze.

"I don't agree with how this has been dealt with, a kit is a kit. I don't know how in all of Silverpelt you all made that choice. But I don't want to be mad at you Heathertail. I don't blame you." She looked at him properly now, seeing the concern in his amber eyes. "Onestar can't be reasoned with when he puts his mind to something. If he believes the clan's being punished by Starclan. Nothing could convince him otherwise. Not even my brother." he let out a sigh. "He's working himself thin already."

Heathertail just nodded, not sure what to say.

"So does all the clan hate me now?"

"Some do. But most don't. Many _do_ believe it was a sign from Starclan. You know how it is. We're closer to Starclan, so why wouldn't we be punished for Breezepelt's actions?" he scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I don't personally agree. Starclan if they wanted to punish us, they would do. We've seen they can come down from Starclan to walk among us and do what they need to." He slowly reached his paw out and gently held hers. She didn't pull away.

"I should never have mated with him. Starclan help me, I was so _stupid_." she groaned, as Harespring tilted his head slowly to the side. His eyes seemed to say. " _Tell me._ "

"I thought I could help him. I could see my best friend going down a dark path, and I tried to save him before it was too late. I knew he'd loved me since we were apprenticed. But at the time my heart belonged to.. Someone else." she sighed before continuing. "It didn't work out. Once I was finally over him, I saw Breezepelt was getting worse and worse. How he glared at Ashfoot and Crowfeather when they didn't look at him. How he only confided to his mother, and rarely me. I'd wake up and see him covered in wounds, and I'd always help him cover them up. It didn't know where they were coming from or why, but if I didn't help I'd be against him too."

"I see." was all Harespring replied with, gently patting her paw in a comforting gesture.

"After our attack in the tunnels failed, Breezepelt was furious his half brother Lionblaze had again beaten his clan in combat. He was madder than a fox in a fit. So I told him we could make Windclan stronger with kits, and they would help us defeat his enemies. He was finally distracted from his rage, and told me he loved me. Shortly after that, the Dark Forest Battle happened. And well.. You know what happened after that." her voice faltered, and the two sat in silence, as the gentle breeze from the lake buffeting her fur. She looked up at the sky, seeing the stars slowly fade away as the sunrise continued rising.

"Did you love him?" this question caught her off guard, and she looked at the brown and white tom in surprise.

"What?"

"Did you love him?" he repeated slowly.

"I don't know." she finally admitted, lowering her head in embarrassment. "I told myself I did. But how I felt about him was not the same as how I felt about my first crush." she explained, moving her paw away from his. "I wanted Breezepelt to be happy for once, and I was willing to throw my own happiness away just to show Windclan he was a good warrior.. Who didn't deserve to be ignored. I'm a feather-brain through and through."

"It's not feather-brained to hope someone can change." Harespring spoke, his voice tender and gentle. "You wanted to help your fellow warrior, that's nothing to mock." He stood up, and arched his back in a stretch. "We should head back to Windclan before Onestar gets up. He'll be worried about you."

"Alright." she mewed, forcing herself to her paws and starting to limp along. Harespring instinctively moved next to her just in case.

"That's not all I wanted to talk to you about, actually." Harespring began, sounding nervous and awkward. Heathertail looked at his curiously, but he kept his gaze straight ahead as they continued back to camp.

"Without Breezepelt around, your kits don't have a father figure in life. I know how hard that is to grow up without one in your life. I mean you can see what it did to Breezepelt." Heathertail blinked, she could see where he was going with this. "I'd like your kits to grow up better that I did. So with your permission, I'd like to be there for them. As a father would." He forced himself to look at her, his amber eyes brimming with worry, but love too.

"You don't have to do that Harespring-"

"I know I don't have to. But I want to. You and your kits deserve the best." he let out an awkward purr. Heathertail's whiskers twitched with amusement before speaking.

"That'd help me a lot, thank you Harespring." she purred, leaning against him and rubbing her cheek against his.

The two walked back to camp, and waved their tails at Palescar as they made their way down the slope. Crowfeather was stood, sorting out a large patrol, when he spotted them returning.

"Harespring! I'd like you to join the secondary battle patrol with Emberfoot, Crouchfoot and Finchpaw." Heathertail's whiskers twitched as she heard Harespring's tired groan under his breath.

"Sure thing Crowfeather!" he called back, before giving Heathertail a friendly bump with his hip. "I'll see you later then, hopefully with my face still in once piece. And maybe with a rabbit we can share. If you want to share I mean."

"I might share, if I'm not starving when you get back." Heathertail purred, bumping hips with him back before padding towards the nursery.

" _I hope Starclan lets all our warriors return safely, it is just a border skirmish. I hope."_

She noticed Sunstrike and Furzepelt sat sharing a mouse before they joined the big patrol. But Furezepelt looked at her with a disgusted expression, and began to whisper to Sunstrike. Whatever she had said though just made Sunstike look nervous, and gave Heathertail a quick smile. She forced a smile back, and pushed her way into the nursery. She knew what they were whispering about, and tried not to care.

She saw her mother Whitetail, still asleep while Limpkit and Patchkit sat sharing tongues. They hadn't learned how to speak properly yet, so they merely waved their tails at her. She was quickly distracted by the sounds of her kits whining for milk, as her milk scent must have reached them.

She climbed into her nest, and pulled her two kittens close to her stomach, watching them latch on and feed from her.

She was about to doze off when she realized she hadn't even named her kits yet. She looked at them again. One a dappled brown tabby she-kit with spiky fur. The other a pale brown and white tom with large ears.

She gently lapped at their heads, grooming them while they relaxed. She attempted to get the she-kits spiked fur to lay flat, to little success.

"Your spiky fur reminds me of nettles, so you shall be my precious little Nettlekit." she purred. She only hoped her daughter doesn't become as prickly tempered as Breezepelt. She turned her attention to her tom. He certainly looked a lot like Onestar and herself. But didn't want to give him their names. She leaned back slightly, and closed her eyes. Letting some of her happiest memories come to her.

She remembered her days as an apprentice. Playing underground with Lionblaze, then Lionpaw at the time. She felt like her heart twisted in pain, as she remembered he had moved on and forgotten about her with that fox-heart, Cinderheart. But she forced herself not to think of that, and relive her memories of her time as Heatherstar, leader of Darkclan.

She cringed a bit at the name, it was so terrible. But what had she named Lionpaw, her noble deputy? Lion _claw_. That was it, she opened her heather-blue eyes and gazed down at her kit excitedly.

"You'll grow up stronger than any old Thunderclan cat, my little Clawkit."


	20. Chapter 20 - Maybelle

**1 Moon and 24 Sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle**

"For the love of Starclan, where is Coriander with those herbs?! Alright, I think that's the last kit… Maybelle, meet your kits." Nightcloud mewed, letting go of her legs.

Maybelle stared at her kits as her kitting pain ebbed away. Three small, tiny kits. Their breathing was shallow, and raspy. She stared up at Nightcloud and Breezepelt, suddenly afraid.

"Are kit's always like this?" she asked, her voice shaking. Nightcloud hesitated, before shaking her head.

"No. My kit's didn't wheeze like that." She replied quietly. The usually prickly she-cat looked unusually worried about her. "It might be all this straw, the air is very thick and musty in here." She added quickly, trying to sound hopeful.

"So… I'll sleep outside then?" she mewed uncertainly. Thinking about the possibility of rain, or even the Twoleg's seeing her.

"We'll find you a quiet spot." Nightcloud assured her. "I'll come back to carry the kits out when we've found somewhere. Smoky, can you help me?"

The muscular tom looked up, he had clearly been focusing on the new kits. Not hearing any of the conversation. "Uh… Alright Nightcloud."

"What about me?" Breezepelt asked, his tail tip twitching.

"It's best a Windclan patrol only sees one of us, if they show up that is… Stay and watch Maybelle for me."

"I'm not a kit, I can-"

"Do as your mother says young'un." Smoky interrupted, shooting him an annoyed look as he padded away.

"You don't tell me what to do, old cat!" Breezepelt snarled aggressively, unsheathing his claws and squaring up to him. Nightcloud shoved him away, hissing.

"Idiot kit. I'm asking you to do the most important job!" she growled, turning her back on Breezepelt, her tail whipping his nose as the two older cats padded away. Maybelle winced slightly. Sure, Breezepelt wasn't in the right, but Nightcloud could be just as harsh, if not worse. Breezepelt sat down, his amber eyes narrowed in fury as he watched Smoky leave.

"She-cats first." He purred, as Nightcloud let out a light, if forced purr and pushed her way out, with the gray tom close behind her. Maybelle's ear twitched, trying to ignore the annoyed growling coming from Breezepelt.

"Breezepelt, do you want to see my kits?" She asked, keeping her voice bright and friendly. He glanced over at her, still looking angry.

"Why?"

"Well… You can learn about how to groom them, so you can care for your own kits when you have them." She purred, only to see Breezepelt stiffen, and his face looked pained. "W-what's wrong Breezepelt? What did I say?" The black tom let out a quiet sigh.

"I'm sure my mate… Heathertail. I bet she's had my kits now." He muttered, lying down next to her, not meeting her in the eyes.

"In Windclan?" she asked quietly. He dipped his head slightly. "Well why don't you go see her? I'm sure she misses you."

"Hah… I can't go back." He replied, his voice cold and bitter.

"Why? I'm sure she'd forgive you for being away-"

"I didn't leave, We- uh. _I_ was exiled from Windclan." He spat. Maybelle's short fur raised slightly, and her paws tingled with unease. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know what he had done to get _exiled._ Breezepelt looked at her, like he had read her mind.

"I tried to kill my father's mother." He replied, no sound of regret, or emotion in his voice.

"… Why?" she squeaked, her claws slowly unsheathing in case she needed to protect her kits.

"She hated us. She wasn't happy Nightcloud became her sons mate. She never visited. Then, when I became a warrior, she'd try and punish me for anything I did. Even if it was something silly, like tripping over a sleeping apprentice."

"Still… That's a bit extreme, don't you think?" she replied quietly, forcing herself to keep herself calm, and sheathe her claws again. Worried that if he saw her claws out, he might get angry. She pushed one of her kits closer to her stomach, as it wailed, guessing it wanted more milk.

"I don't know… The Dark Forest cats told me if I got rid of her, the others would respect me." He mewed, staring up at the ceiling, as if he heard a noise.

"Dark Forest?" she asked.

"They were dead cats. Strong cats. Fierce cats. They chose the bravest, strongest or the smartest cats from the Clans, and offered to train them. In return we had to pledge loyalty to them."

"Do all cats go there when they die?"

"No… Only Clan cats who weren't afraid to challenge the rules. To push the boundaries to what was right… And what wasn't." he still stared up at the ceiling, Maybelle followed his gaze, best she could.

"Do you still dream about them?" she whispered. He shook his head, looking disappointed.

"No. The leaders were either killed, or faded away. The rest refused to train us again, not wanting to argue with Starclan cats, the cowards." Maybelle opened her mouth to ask what Starclan was, but Breezepelt continued. "Starclan is the afterlife for warriors who do good deeds, and lead boring lives. Never challenging what they know as right, and seeing if it actually is." he added bitterly, looking away. "I don't know if either of them are right or wrong anymore…"

The sat in silence, listening to the wind whistling through the broken window. Maybelle glanced at Breezepelt, he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. It seemed like he still wanted to speak to her, but didn't know what to say. She saw his paws kneading the floor. This surprised her, while Nightcloud had made an effort to get to know the three loners, he had often just sat there with his mother, staring off in to space. Or sometimes he'd go out at dawn, then come back at dusk, carrying in a large amount of prey, then curl up to sleep. She cleared her throat, trying to think of what to say.

"So, your mate… Heathertail. Was she a good cat?" this made him look at her, his amber eyes suddenly relaxed, as he thought about her.

"She was amazing. The kindest cat I knew." He purred, licking his lips. "We were apprenticed together. She was the only cat who didn't seem to completely hate me. Well, besides Nightcloud of course… Then… She started to see this other apprentice from Thunderclan… Lionpaw." His voice changed, going cold again. "She thought I didn't know, I wasn't stupid. I just didn't try to stop her, I knew she'd find out he was bad news eventually.

She did turn her back on him, and after that day I tried to look after her, once he nearly caused a war between their Clans. She focused on me again, even though we were just best friends, it made all the hate I felt go away. I felt that I could… I could be anything I wanted to be." He stood up, and walked up to one of the wooden posts, reared up and dragged his claws down it, sharpening them. "Then. I found out my father had kits with a Thunderclan cat! Against the code, and that I was actually related to Lionpaw, now Lionblaze and his siblings!" he reared up, and dragged himself down again, getting his frustration out. "Because of what that crow-food eater did, the whole Clan looked down on me. I heard them all whispering. ' _Oh, Breezepelt will end up like his father.' 'Oh, Breezepelt might not be as loyal as every cat thought.' 'No one will ever trust Breezepelt ever again!_ " His last sentence had risen in to a yell, he slashed out at the wood, leaving behind thick claw marks in the post. He stood, panting.

Maybelle shuddered at the sight. If that had been a cat…

"So then My clan, the turned their backs on me. But Heathertail… She tried to stick by me. It didn't make me feel better, I knew that she had some doubts. But I started to trust her again… We became mates about a quarter moon before… Everything went wrong, I took part in the Dark Forest Battle. And now… I'm here." He slumped back down, and let out a sigh. "I just hope she's alright." He mewed, his voice sad and full of regret.

"Breezepelt?" Maybelle murmured, outstretching her paw in a kind gesture. Only for them both to jump as they heard scrabbling at the entrance, Maybelle quickly pulled her paw back, as Coriander returned. In her jaws were some borage plants. She nodded at them, and dropped them at Breezepelt's paws.

"Uh, what?" he asked, his voice back to being rough and harsh. Coriander glared.

"Your mother told me to get these herbs. Borage right?"

"Yes?"

"Well, here you go." She mewed, rolling her eyes. Breezepelt rolled his eyes too, and let out a sigh.

"You do realize borage is for milk production. I'm a tom." He sneered. "Or did you not know that?" Maybelle stifled an amused purr.

"I've met plenty of toms tougher than you." She retorted, turning her back on him and pushing the herbs towards Maybelle, before stopping. "Oh, you've had them? Wonderful." She mewed, sounding pleased and joyful. Maybelle wasn't convinced though, her eyes weren't twinkling or bright. She bent down, to chew up the herbs, but Breezepelt's paw shot out and stood on them.

"No, you only eat the leaves. The flowers can cause sickness." He explained, removing his paw.

"Oh, thanks Breezepelt, she mowed, blinking her eyes happily at him. He just nodded, looking awkward. Clearly not used to being thanked.

"Uh, could you do me a favour?" she asked uncertainly. Coriander huffed slightly, but nodded.

"Could you go and get more borage?"

"Why do I have to get it for you?" she mewed, looking at Breezepelt. "Why can't he get it?"

"He's been told to guard the stables." She replied. Coriander sighed and padded away, and out the exit.

"I get the feeling she doesn't like me." Maybelle mewed, sounding amused. Breezepelt twitched his ears.

"She doesn't like any of us who stay here, not even Smoky." He remarked, twisting around to lick his back where a small bit of straw had caught on him. Maybelle stared at him.

"How do you know that?" she asked. Breezepelt didn't respond until he removed the straw.

"Oh, just watch her closely. She's just here to live an easy life." He answered, shaking his head. "Then again, what can you expect from a Kittypet?"

"Wait… She was a _Kittypet_?" she gasped, staring at him in disbelief. "No way."

"It's true. Watch how she walks. Dainty, and not aware of the noise she produces. She can't hear it, or maybe she thinks it's normal.

"Huh. Alright." The two just looked at each other, and she noticed Breezepelt glance at the kits, very quickly then back at her. "Want to meet the kits?" she purred. Breezepelt hesitated. "Just look, I promise they won't try and steal milk from you."

"Alright…" He peered down at them, his eyes clearly wary. He then focused on the middle one for a moment, before leaning back and staring up at her, looking worried. "Maybelle, the one in the middle… Its breathing is shallow. Really shallow." She stared down at it, he was right! The other kits were breathing perfectly in comparison. She lowered her head and started to lick it with quick, small strokes. Trying to warm it. She kept at it, feeling the kits breathing slow more and more before… Silence. She froze when she felt how still it was.

"No…" she whispered. She stared at it, its flanks so still. "I didn't even name it…"

"Name it now." He urged her, "Or Starclan… Or wherever loners go, will name it for you."

"Ah…" she looked at it. It had been a she-kit. Its pelt was snowy white, like her own, with tiny black spots all over it. Looking like a type of dog Twolegs liked. "Maybe… Speckles."

"Speckles." Breezepelt echoed, bowing his head. "May… Starclan light your path, Speckles." He murmured softly. Breezepelt stepped closer to Maybelle, and gently grabbed the kit. "I'll take Speckles for you." He mumbled around the mouthful of fur, and went outside. Leaving her alone. Dully she stared at her two other kits, and felt a surge of protectiveness towards them, which grew even stronger as she stared at them. Both kits were toms. One was white with a single black ear, the other black with a white patch on the back.

"Sleep tight, Pacha and Chester." She mumbled, not taking her eyes from them.

Maybelle carried Pacha outside, following Smoky to under a large Oak tree, with long, twirling roots. In between two roots, hidden out of sight from the Stables, was a pile of soft moss. Smoky nodded at her.

"This will be your nest." He mewed, Maybelle nodded, and carefully put Pacha on the root, before curling up, getting comfortable. Smoky grasped the little kit and lowered it near her stomach. Letting out a purr. "There we go, right next to mama."

Nightcloud padded over, Chester was dangling from her jaws. The tiny mostly black kit almost blended in against her fur. She lowered him down to Maybelle, and added quietly.

"They are sweet… I wish I had more kits." She mumbled, watching them warmly. Despite the fresh, warm air, the two kits were still wheezing. Maybelle looked at them worriedly. If anything the wheezing had gotten worse.

"They'll be fine, they just have to get used to this good air." Nightcloud mewed, trying to reassure her. Maybelle nodded, not convinced, but tried to stay positive. Breezepelt padded over, carrying a mouse. He dropped it at her paws and padded awkwardly away, without saying anything.

"Let us know if you need anything. Alright?" Smoky asked, looking affectionately at the kits. Maybelle purred.

"I will, thanks." She purred, waving her tail at them so they would go away. Maybelle lowered her head to her paws, and drifted off to sleep in the warm sun.

Maybelle's eyes opened, it was sunset. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the stables, staining the sky wonderful shades of red, orange and gold. She looked at her kits, and sat still. Holding her breath. Patcha had stopped breathing while she slept, and Chester wasn't much better. She let out a heartbroken yowl. Moments later Smoky, Nightcloud, and Breezepelt squeezed out the entrance one by one, and ran over.

"What's wrong?!" Nightcloud yelled, looking just as afraid as Maybelle felt.

"P-Patcha…" was all she choked out. As the older cats got closer, they let out a tired sigh.

"Starclan has claimed another kit." Nightcloud sighed, leaning forward and licking Maybelle's head. "I know your pain, I'm sorry you have to suffer through this…" Maybelle didn't respond, she just sat there, shaking her head stubbornly. Smoky carefully grabbed the mostly white tom, and carried it away, out of view. Nightcloud followed, her tail trailing behind her. Breezepelt came and sat with her, obviously not sure what to do.

"You don't have to sit here." Maybelle choked out, turning to stare at her last kit. Breezepelt didn't respond. He just gently moved his tail over her side, in a comforting way.

"Just focus on Chester." Was all he said, before getting up and disappearing in to the trees. Maybelle stared at the kit, and stared hard. Until finally she saw the last rise and fall of its flanks, and then… Nothing. She let out a loud, pained wail. As Nightcloud and Smoky came rushing back, looking horrified.

Maybelle just slowly limped along the Windclan border as the moon raised, not paying attention to the scent marks. She felt awful, she had left some lavender on her kits graves, and just started walking, demanding to be alone when Breezepelt had tried to come with her. She stared across the moorlands. It was moonhigh, the stars were providing enough light for her to see somewhat. But still, she stayed in the shadows of some nearby trees. Out of sight from any wandering rogues. Tiredly, she sat down in the shade, and dully stared out at the moorlands, wondering where her kits were. Were they tottering around with other deceased loners? Maybe with her mother, she'd look after them…

She blinked, and tried to focus her blurry gaze on what appeared to be a lone cat walking along the moorland. She stared harder. It was definitely a cat. Small and lithe, with large ears. From his jaws it seemed something was dangling from them. Fresh kill probably. She tried to ignore the cat, but curiosity got the better of her, and she began to cautiously follow it.

The wind was pointing in her direction, so her scent wouldn't travel to the other cat. As she got closer, she could tell the cat was a tom, around the same age as Smoky. Despite this, he was moving pretty quickly across the moorland. It was obvious this was a cat who'd lived in open spaces his whole life. She wrinkled her nose, as she smelt the harsh scent of fox.

"Why would any cat go to a fox nest? Can he not smell it?" she wondered, she crouched behind a small clump of ferns, praying her snow white pelt wouldn't be noticeable. The tabby tom stopped at a fox burrow that was directly under a tree. Maybelle fidgeted. He had to know that he was at a fox den now! What was he doing? She watched as he dropped the small bundle of fur roughly on the ground, and bowed his head low. Maybelle tensed as she stared at the small lump of fur. It was alive! She had a horrible suspicion what it was, and stalked out of the ferns angrily, ignoring how much noise she made. The tom whipped around, and his fur stood on end. He looked horrified and guilty, his amber eyes as wide as moons. He gasped out:

"I'm sorry Mothflight, Starclan forgive my Clan." Before racing away, not looking back. She blinked in confusion.

"Mothflight?" she asked herself quietly. She went and stood over the small lump of smoky gray fur, her fears quickly confirmed: It was a kit! Recently born too. It was small, but breathing strongly, and letting out a weird, garbled whine. She gazed at it, feeling herself choke back tears. Was this meant to be?

She carefully picked it up by the scruff, gently purring at the kit to show that it wasn't alone. Quickly she moved away from the fox den, hearing scuffling noises inside the burrow. She walked along, feeling the spirits inside her soar, as she carefully stuck to the forest shadows. She only had known about this little kit for a few moments, but she already loved it with all of her heart. She knew it wasn't going to replace any of her kits, but it would be its own, wonderful kit. Maybe it could even travel with her when it's older! However the horrors of the day, and her recent birth started to weigh down on her, and she felt her legs get heavier and heavier. She just barely managed to stagger in to a small bramble bush, and place the kit down. She stared around, feeling like she was being watched. At one point, she thought she saw a pair of green eyes watching her from the moor, but when she blinked, they had gone. She shrugged it off, figuring her brain was playing tricks on her.

Cautiously she settled down near the kit, and pulled her close to her stomach, and the kit hungrily latched on and started to drink the milk. Maybelle looked down at her, letting out a tired purr. Who would abandon such a healthy kit? She started to drift off, when she realised something – it felt like two kits were suckling from her. Puzzled, she looked down again, and stared. The kit had two faces! She watched, fascinated as they suckled hungrily from her. Sure, it looked peculiar. But… She couldn't help but love this kit even more for its unusualness. It's like she'd been gifted with two healthy kits, in one body. She glanced up again, and breathed in the air carefully. Making sure for certain no other cat was nearby, unable to shake the thought of the green eyes she thought she saw. Though when she recalled the green eyes, they didn't look angry, just relieved…

She lowered her head, and quickly fell in to a deep sleep…

The sunlight shone brightly through the branches, on Maybelle's face. She let out a groan, and opened her eyes slightly.

" _Where am I?"_ she wondered, before the memories of the previous day flooded back to her almost instantly. She glanced down at the small kit. It was asleep, and its breathing was strong. She relaxed a bit, before feeling her stomach growl with hunger. She hesitated, she could go and hunt, but she didn't want to leave her kit out in the open… She carefully grabbed the small kit, ignoring its tired and confused cries, and pushed her way out of the bramble bush, and headed back to the stables.

Looking up slightly, she could see that it was sunhigh. Surely her friends would be concerned about her. She picked up the pace, all while glancing around, making sure no Windclan cats were patrolling.

She made it back to the stables, with no encounters from Windclan. As the white she-cat squeezed through the small gap in the wood, she peered around. It seemed all the cats had gone out, with a pang Maybelle realized they were probably out looking for her. She made her away across the wooden floor, and gently placed her new kit on the wood, and watched it.

It squirmed about, obviously not able to walk yet. Due to its heavy heads, it slowly ended up flopped on its side. The smaller head let out a whimper, while the larger head started to drool. Maybelle chuckled, and continued to watch the kit. Fascinated. She noticed one her front paws was a lot bigger than the others, and for a moment she frowned, wondering how her kit will be able to walk around.

"Hopefully the larger paw will help keep her on her paws." She mumbled, her ears pricking up as she heard a cat scrabbling at the entrance, she turned, to see Breezepelt's narrow face peer at her through the hole, before entering.

"We were concerned about you. Well, everyone else was, I mean I.." Breezepelt mewed, not noticing the small kit on the ground. He leapt down and started to pad towards her. "Smoky and I went to check-" he broke off, finally noticing the deformed kit squirming on the ground. The expression in his amber eyes was unreadable, he just continued to stare at it.

"Where did you find _that_?" he asked bluntly, finally breaking the silence.

"I saw a tom abandon it at a fox den." She replied, reaching across and pulling the small kit towards her protectively. "I figured I can look after it. Maybe it was meant to happen…" Breezepelt didn't reply, he just twitched his right ear. His expression confused.

"Can you catch me something to eat?" she asked uncertainly. Still not saying anything, the black tom dropped in to a hunting crouch and disappeared into the shadows, and moments later she heard the squeak of a mouse, and the sound of crushing bones. Breezepelt came back out, and dropped the plump mouse in front of and pushed it towards her with a muddy paw before sitting down and starting to groom himself. She started to separate the fur and meat from the bones, when she realised something.

"Where is Smoky?" she asked, Breezepelt looked at her, confused for a moment, before his expression cleared.

"Hm? Oh, he wanted to keep looking for you, so I offered to go come back to see if you had returned."

"Ah, alright." she mewed, before starting to eat her mouse.

Either Maybelle had eaten the mouse slowly, or time was passing by faster today. As she finished, she glanced up out the window, to see the sun seemed to be starting it's descent from the sky. She pulled the kit closer to her, as she noticed it try and wriggle away.

"What are you going to call that _thing_ anyway?" Breezepelt's curious question rang out above her, she looked up, to see he had gotten up the secret loft area. He almost looked like a bat from the way his large black head peered out.

"I'm not sure." She replied, feeling uncomfortable. She wasn't too great with names. She placed the kit on a small pile of straw, before leaping up to the wooden windowsill, to try and think. "Maybe… Maybe Cl-" she broke off, seeing what looked like a small Windclan patrol approaching the stables. Quickly, she spun around to Breezepelt, her pale eyes wide with fear.

"Windclan cats! Hide!" she hissed urgently. Breezepelt quickly nodded in response, and disappeared from view. Leaping back down to where the small kit lay, she quickly pulled some more straw over it, and raced to the entrance, determined not to let the patrol in. As she pushed her head out, she could see the patrol was much closer now. At the lead, was a small smoky gray tom, who looked a lot like Breezepelt. Behind him were two other cats. A furless tom cat, with a large scar down his side, and a small pale ginger she-cat. They didn't look like a threat, but she couldn't be sure. So she went out to greet them. As she squeezed out, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, Nightcloud quickly diving in to a bramble bush for cover.

"Can I help you?" Maybelle asked, standing face to face with the patrol.

"Yes. A gray and white tom lived here, correct?" the furless cat asked, looking strangely sorry for her. She blinked in confusion.

"That sounds like Smoky. Is he okay? He doesn't mean to trespass, I promise you that." She began, only for the patrol to glance at each other. She felt her paws tingle with unease. "Where is he?" she choked out, dreading their response. The skinny gray tom bowed his head.

"He's at our camp. Our sunhigh patrol found him… He had slipped in the muddy bank, and smashed his head on a stone." Maybelle shook her head in shock, backing away. "We wanted you to confirm who it was, before we buried him."

Maybelle felt like her head was reeling. Smoky? Dead? It couldn't be…

"Y-yes I'll come with you." She mumbled, slowly, in a trance-like state following the patrol across the moorlands.

Maybelle walked in to the Windclan camp, nodding politely at the cats who noticed her, following Crowfeather and Palescar to the centre of the camp, while the smaller cat, Applepaw, had gone to see her friends. She had learnt their names on the way back. Applepaw and Palescar seemed to have been trying hard to keep her spirits up. Crowfeather hadn't spoken much. Still, she couldn't shake off the thought that this cat looked a lot like Breezepelt..

"Here. Is this him?" Crowfeather asked, stepping to the side so she could see. She stared in horror, unable to move. In front of her was Smoky. The once cheerful demeanour he had, replaced with a motionless, still husk of himself.

"That's him" she managed to mew, before collapsing to the ground and weeping pitifully. She tore up the grass that was underneath her paws, ignoring the looks all the cats around her gave. She felt a short pelt brush against her as it sat down, and by the scent she could tell it was Crowfeather. He didn't say anything, but just being there helped her. Eventually she ran out of tears, and finally sat up, and blinked at him. He just nodded back. She noticed a small brown tom with white flecks pad over to her.

"We'll be burying him near the stables, if we have your permission." He asked. Staring at her with his green gaze. She blinked in shock.

" _Was it you watching me..?"_ she wondered, and to her shock he gave a small dip of his head. As if confirming her thoughts.

"Yes, Smoky would want that." She murmured, letting out a sigh.

"I'll arrange a patrol to come help bury him at sundown." Crowfeather mewed, and padded away from them. Maybelle watched him go, before turning back to the small tom, who added.

"I'm Kestrelflight by the way, and…" he hesitated, lowering his voice. "Thank you for saving that kit."

Stunned, all she could do was blink at him. He just twitched his ear, before hearing a voice call out "Kestrelflight? Are you getting Heathertail borage or aren't you?"

"Coming Whitetail" he called, before giving one last friendly nod to her before heading away. Maybelle binked. Heathertail? Wasn't that Breezepelt's mate? Plus, she wanted borage… For milk? Quickly she began to pad away, only for Palescar to interrupt her.

"Where are you going?" he inquired, his amber gaze just showed he was being kind.

"I need to get back to the stables." She began, only to see Palescar's confused expression. "The uh, Horseplace." She corrected herself. "I've left me kit unattended." She explained going to step around him.

"Alright, I'll tell Crowfeather you had to go. We'll see you soon." he mewed, as he walked away.

Nightcloud was looking disgusted as Breezepelt argued with her. She slowed down once she came in to earshot.

"Look, she found that kit. We should help-" Breezepelt began, only to be cut off.

"Starclan forbid, that is _not_ a kit. It's a warning! A warning we've over stayed our welcome here." Nightcloud retorted, only to jump as Maybelle spoke up.

"You are welcome here, as long as I and Coriander allow it." She mewed, looking at them both. Nightcloud shook her head, flicking a mud covered paw in annoyance.

"Either way, I'm not sleeping in the same place as that, that… Thing." She spat.

"Well don't then. You said you liked sleeping under the stars. So go sleep outside." Maybelle replied, shoving past them to get to the entrance, before turning to look at them again. "If I were you two though, I'd get inside and hide on the roof, more Windclan cats are coming to bury Smoky." She added, forcing herself to hold back her grief, as the two black cats looked at each other in shock, and followed her inside.

"He's dead?" Breezepelt asked, his expression and tone were unreadable. "How?"

"He slipped in the stream, and cracked his head…" was all she said, carefully grasping her wailing kitten from the straw pile, and letting it suckle. Nightcloud looked away, obviously uncomfortable around the kit.

"I know what I'm going to call them now." Maybelle added, leaning down and gently licking both heads of the kits. "The larger one shall be Soot, and the smaller one shall be called Smoke."

" _After Smoky._ " she added silently.

Breezepelt nodded, while Nightcloud didn't reply at all. Sighing Maybelle picked up her kit, and leapt up to the windowsill, and lay the kit down to keep watch on the arriving patrol. Sure enough, she could see the patrol in the distance, carrying with them the body of Smoky.

"You two need to get out of sight, I'll keep these cats away." Maybelle remarked, grabbing Smoke's scruff and leaping down, and leaving her on the wooden floor boards, as Nightcloud followed her son up to the roof. Maybelle didn't move until she was certain that they had gotten to the roof, before dashing outside to meet the patrol.

It looked like the Windclan cats had already gotten to work, with the older cats digging a hole, with Crowfeather and Kestrelflight sat nearby, watching them carefully. As Maybelle stood watching, Crowfeather turned to her, and started to come over.

"I hope you are alright with the burial spot." He remarked, swishing his tail towards the fence post. "We often saw a cat perched on the post, watching our dawn patrols."

"That sounds like him. First to be up, last to sleep." She purred, as she heard the nearby squeaks and scuffling of mice inside the stables.

Crowfeather sniffed the air carefully, swiping his tongue around his jaws, before stiffening. "Do any other cats live in the Horseplace besides you?" he asked, his blue eyes watching her closely. Maybelle just kept her composure.

"There was Smoky, but now it is just myself, my kit and Coriander." She replied, before blinking in confusion "Actually, I haven't seen Coriander all day. Weird."

Crowfeather shook his head impatiently. "So you're telling me that _only_ you three have been living here? Undisturbed?"

Maybelle visibly hesitated. "There were two black cats…" she admitted quietly, Crowfeather leaned forward, looking intently at her. "They left this morning." She added, not looking the small tom in the eyes.

"I see… So you won't mind Windclan sending a patrol to track these cats then?" he asked, leaning back. His voice smooth. Maybelle glanced up, before quickly nodding.

"Not at all…" she replied. Feeling very nervous. Crowfeather picked up on that, he lowered his voice to barely an audible whisper.

"Listen, you are in danger if we do not catch these cats." He whispered, glancing around to make sure no cats were in earshot. "They will lie, and kill to get their way. Do not let them catch on we've told you. Understand?" Maybelle nodded, feeling a shiver go down her spine.

"We'll be here with in three sunrises, tomorrow we have uh… Border arguments with another Clan." He remarked, before getting back to his paws and walking away. As Maybelle glanced over, she could see the older cats lowering Smokey's body in to the shallow ditch, before starting to scrape the dirt over him. With that done the Windclan cats disappeared across the moorland, with the red stained sky lighting their path.

Maybelle re-entered the stables, and called out to the cats come out from hiding. She heard scuffling above her, and watched Breezepelt drop down on to the windowsill, before leaping back down on to the straw strewn ground. Nightcloud followed, only to miss the windowsill, and landed roughly on the ground. Both cats quickly rushed over to help her, she simply hissed at them, and got to her paws herself.

"Windclan want to check the stables in three sunrise's time." Maybelle mewed, as the two cats turned to look at her.

"Why?" Breezepelt hissed.

"One cat, Crowfeather…. He insisted." She replied, seeing the two cats glance at each other. Their claws unsheathing.

"Why aren't they sending a patrol now?" Nightcloud snarled out.

"They said something about a border skirmish tomorrow."

The two black cats glanced at each other again, before Maybelle remembered something. "Breezepelt, I think Heathertail had your kits!" she added happily. This made Breezepelt stare at her in disbelief. "She needed borage."

Breezepelt looked excited for the first time she'd ever seen him. "I have to see her!" he gasped, only for Nightcloud to bat his tail tip with an unsheathed claw.

"And have Windclan tear my kit apart? I won't allow it." She retorted. Breezepelt stared at the ground, his excitement quickly ebbing away. However Maybelle had an idea.

"What if…" she began, catching eyes with Breezepelt. "You sneak in to the Windclan camp during the battle, and find Heathertail." Nightcloud went to speak, but she continued quickly. "Nightcloud and I will distract the remaining guards, hopefully you'll be able to catch her alone. It'll be a huge risk, but if you want to try it, we'll do it."

She saw Breezepelt's eyes glint with hope, and he dipped his head.

"Let's do it."


	21. Chapter 21 - Maybelle, Breezepelt

**1 Moon and 25 sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle**

"Go over this one more time?" Nightcloud asked, Maybelle sighed, trying to remain patient.

"Alright, so you will take Smoot and-"

"Smoot?" Nightcloud echoed, clearly lost already.

"Sorry, Smoke and Soot" she replied, swishing her white tail towards the two faced kit. Nightcloud winced in disgust, but didn't verbally respond.

"You will take Smoke and Soot, carry them around Windclan territory, to spread their scent, hide them in the gorse bush near the stream, and then take a different path to Windclan camp. Try and flush out any remaining cats and get them to follow you away, and head for the fox set on the border." she turned to face Breezepelt. "Your role is to wait inside the abandoned badger set a few fox-lengths away from the camp. Until I lure the guards away to help me find my kit. Once they are gone, wait for Nightcloud to flush out any other warriors or apprentices. Then, you sneak to the Nursery and get Heathertail's attention."

Breezepelt nodded, clearly approving of the plan, however Nightcloud hesitated.

"You do realise I'm not as fast as I used to be. Right?" she remarked. Maybelle blinked, noticing the silver around her muzzle.

"Oh… Well..." She mewed quickly. "However the plan won't work unless you do this Nightcloud."

The black she cat glared at her, her ears flattening to her head. "I can't do, what I can't do." She snapped, unsheathing her claws. Only for Breezepelt to step in the way.

"Mother, please. I need to see my kits. I need to see _her_!" he begged. Nightcloud didn't move, but her expression softened somewhat.

"Fine." She grumbled, getting to her paws and padding over and picking Smoot up by her scruff roughly. She nodded at Maybelle, before leaving the stables. Maybelle and Breezepelt followed. The white she-cat watched Breezepelt disappear out of sight over the moorland.

Breezepelt lau curled up in an old badger set, waiting for the plan to unfold. He saw Maybelle's small white figure streak across to the camp, as the guards leapt up defensively. Maybelle started screeching, sounding genuinely distraught.

"My kit! A black she-cat took my kit!" she wailed. Breezepelt blinked, she was certainly convincing. He squinted, it looked like she had claw marks on her pelt, and her fur was ungroomed.

" _Did she injure herself just to look convincing?.."_

The two guards approached her and started to talk to her, Breezepelt strained his ears to hear what was being said.

"Did you take my kit?!" Maybelle hissed, looking furious.

"We don't have any black cats in the camp." One guard retorted, the other added.

"Windclan cats don't steal kits, I suggest you look elsewh-" the other guard broke off, before quickly asking "Was she skinny, old and had green eyes?"

"Yes!" Maybelle wailed, Breezepelt's gaze flickered to the camp, he could see Whitetail and Daisyfield rush out of the nursery towards Maybelle. He couldn't make out the rest of the conversation, but he saw Whitetail race to the Nursery, then back to the guards. Maybelle raced away from the camp, the four cats behind her as she led them away.

His paws itched with impatience. He just wanted to march In to camp, not caring what other cats were about. He noticed Applepaw was sat on guard outside the medicine cat den.

" _Did Onestar take all his cats for a small border argument?"_ he wondered, puzzled. Only to notice a small black shape racing across the moorlands. He could see it was Nightcloud, the older she-cat might be getting older, but it was clear she could still outrun a rabbit any day. She swerved directions, skidding a small amount, before charging straight in to the WIndclan camp. Stopping briefly to hurl insults at Applepaw, before bouncing out of range from the small apprentices attacks. Breezepelt stiffened as Tornear, Whiskernose and Larksong emerged from the other dens. However Nightcloud just kept dodging them, taunting and jeering at them the whole while, before starting to race away. Slowing down slightly every now and then so the cats didn't give up trying to catch her. He watched her race along towards the rocky hills, before quietly slinking towards the camp.

He peered around, his mouth open wide to inhale scents around him. It seemed most cats had in fact gone to this border skirmish. He quietly crept in to the camp, careful to put his weight down slowly on his paws, so his paw steps were muffled. He peered in to the elders den. No cats there. He crept past the medicine cat den, to see a small kit sat in there, he quickly moved out of sight, and towards the nursery. He inhaled deeply. He could smell the milky scent of kits, and the unforgettable scent of his mate. He pushed his head in through the entrance.

Two kits were curled up asleep in their own nest. He peered to the right, he could see two small kits suckling, to a small, slender she-cat…

"Heathertail." He whispered quietly. No response, so he inhaled. "Heathertail!" he hissed, a little louder. Her head shot up, and her blue eyes were cloudy with sleep.

"Hu..?" she mewed, before blinking her eyes until they cleared. Her expression changed from tired to… Horrified?

"Breezepelt!" she gasped, quickly getting up and dashing over to him, shoving him roughly backwards through the bramble bush. "What are you doing here?" she growled. Breezepelt blinked in shock. He didn't expect her to be so angry.

"I wanted to see if our kits had been born." He mewed uncertainly.

"They have, but you need to go!" she turned around and disappeared in to the nursery. Confused, he called quietly after her.

"Can I at least _see_ them?"

No answer, he could hear shuffling about, before Heathertail emerged again, with two small kits dangling from her jaws. She laid them down in front of him. Breezepelt stared at them, feeling his heart begin to beat faster and faster.

"How in Silverpelt did we get such amazing kits?" he breathed. Heathertail just looked uncomfortable.

"Their names are Nettlekit and Clawkit." She mewed, pointing her tail at the small spiky she-cat, with a paler under belly, then at the white and pale brown tom.

"Heathertail, they are perfect. Just like you…" Breezepelt leaned forward to touch noses, however Heathertail turned her head away. Breezepelt followed her gaze, but saw nothing over the hills.

"Breezepelt, listen." Heathertail began, still not looking at him. "You _need_ to leave." Breezepelt tilted his head to the side.

"Why?"

"You aren't welcome here." She mewed, sounding defeated. Breezepelt took a step towards her, and Heathertail whipped her head around and glared at him. "I mean it! Leave!" she snarled.

"But… I love you Heathertail." He blinked, confused. Was she hiding something?

"I-… You have to go, If Crowfeather of Harespring catch you-"

"Why would I be concerned what they think?" he spat, shaking his head in confusion.

"Crowfeather is now deputy." She hissed urgently. Breezepelt stared in disbelief as she continued. "And Harespring… Has offered to be a father to our- _my_ kits." She stared at the ground, not looking him in the eye. Breezepelt, dazed, got to his paws, still shaking his head.

"How could you do this to me?" he asked softly, when she didn't respond, his voice hardened, "Why? Why?!" his voice rose, not caring who heard him. "It's not even been two moons! You've moved on that quickly?!" his fur stood on end, and Heathertail shrank back, quickly pulling her kits towards her.

"G-get away from her!" a small voice shrieked, Breezepelt slowly turned, to see a small gray tabby kit glaring at him.

"Ah, Hailkit. Still having nightmares?" Breezepelt sneered at him, but the small cat didn't back down.

"I'm Hai _lpaw_ now!" He hissed, trying to look menacing. "If you don't leave, I-I'll make you." She added feebly. Breezepelt let out a loud, amused _mreow,_ not noticing Heathertail rush back inside the nursery.

"You? You're going to make me. Oh this will be fun." He mewed, standing over the kit, arching his back and unsheathing his claws. "Go on then, I'll let you have the first strike." He offered, turning his face away, only to stiffen. He could see the guards, Whitetail and Daisyfield racing back across the moorland. He straightened up and looked down at Hailpaw.

"We'll have to settle this another time." He remarked, before turning tail and fleeing towards the fox dens outside of the Windclan border. Feeling the small apprentice's icy stare follow him until he was out of sight. Racing along in a zig-zag pattern once he reached the long grass, to throw off his scent.

Maybelle was back in the stables, grooming Smoot gently. Taking extra care to undo her fluffy tangles. The Windclan cats hadn't suspected a thing, as Smoot were hidden under a gorse bush. None of the Windclan cats had seen Smoot's face. Which was good, she still hadn't seen the cat who abandoned her in the first place. They had shown up just in time to see Nightcloud running off in the opposite distance, and quickly gave chase. She hoped they both were okay. Breezepelt she knew could pull this off. Nightcloud? Not so much… The old cat was too headstrong, she didn't want to quit just yet, or maybe ever.

Daisyfield had led her back to the stables, but stayed well away from the fence. She obviously had a fear of horses. She didn't really get it though, sure their hooves are dangerous, but they were always kept in the fences.

She continued to groom Smoot, purring at the content noises the kit made. Eventually though, it seemed she fell asleep, only to bolt upright again at the furious scraping near the entrance. She blinked, and through her somewhat cloudy vision, she saw Breezepelt's head come in to view. He looked tired, but his amber eyes were glowing with pure hatred. She felt herself flatten to the ground a little, wrapping her tail protectively around Smoot.

"So, did you see your kits?" she mewed uncertainly. Breezepelt curtly dipped his head, before skulking off in to the shadows. Moments later she heard the sound of a spine crack, and the black tom approached her, dropping the plump mouse in front of her, before sitting down and glaring at the wall.

"Are they healthy?" she asked. Breezepelt didn't respond, nervously Maybelle kept pressing him for answers. "Did you get away safely? Did you see Heathertail? Wher-"

"She doesn't love me anymore!" he snarled angrily, his tail lashing. The white she-cat blinked in confusion.

"Heathertail?"

"Of course Heathertail, you mouse-brained fool! She's now playing 'happy kitting' with Harespring! I always knew he had his eyes on her, if I see that cat I'll rip his pelt off and wear it when it rains!" he spat out, digging his claws deep in the soft wood. Maybelle hesitated, but before she could say anything else, he continued.

"Oh and guess what else I learnt? My father, my lazy fox-heart of a father, is now deputy of Windclan! I bet it's just because he was Ashfoot's son. Pah, blood runs deep in our veins, but it runs even better on the ground when I spill it!" he stomped his back foot crossly, scaring Smoke, and Soot let out a scared wail.

"Knock it off Breezepelt, you're scaring my kits!" she hissed, her fur starting to rise. Breezepelt glared at her.

"Yeah? Well you had it easy didn't you? Always moving about, knowing exactly who you are, now you have that…. Thing. Yet you're still happy? Never a bad thing has happened to you!" Breezepelt shut his mouth, remembering exactly the memory that flashed through Maybelle's mind. Furious, the small she-cat stood up, and tried to stand nose-to-nose with him. "I'm sorry Ma-"

"Shut. Up." She snarled, finally allowing her grief and rage to consume her. "Really? Is that how you see my life? Being born in a gorge, full of fighting cats killing each other constantly is easy? Having to leave at four moons, after my mother never came back. Sure that was catching a minnow easy!" as she shouted and screeched, Breezepelt slowly began to flatten himself to the ground submissively. "Wandering in to a Twoleg who stank like crowfood and tried to steal me. Then! Oho… Then running for a complete cycle of seasons, following fireflies because I had some crazy dream? Only to end up in a Twoleg Place, full of messed up rogues… Who… Who… _Hurt_ me?! Then two moons later… All kits I have dead in by moonrise?! Oh sure Breezepelt, my life has been sooo easy!" she spat out, before shaking her head, clearing away the anger. The tom did look horrified, and he didn't meet her gaze. Sighing, she turned away and curled up with Smoot, and ignored him, trying to drift off to sleep.

Barely moments later, she opened her eyes to see Nightcloud entering quietly. The old she cat looked exhausted, her legs shaking, but her head was held high with pride.

"I out ran those Crow-food eating apprentices!" she called, padding over quickly to see her son. "So, how were they? Am I finally a Grand-Elder?" she blinked at her son, noticing how sad he was. "Breezepelt..?"

"I saw them, and Harespring is pretending to be their father now, because Heathertail desn't love me." He replied, rolling over and turning his back to her. Nightcloud stood there, shocked. Before her expression grew dark.

"How dare she do that to you! Any she-cat would be glad to have you as a mate!"

" _As if_." Maybelle thought. "What are you two going to do? Windclan will be here in three sunrises, if not sooner now."

Nightcloud hesitated, glancing at her son. "We will fight them until they all bleed." She mewed firmly. Breezepelt simply waved his tail in agreement.

"You'll need a better plan than that, but I'm not helping you right now. I have a kit to look after. Just let me know if Corainder comes back." Maybelle remarked, picking up Smoot and leaping up on to a haystack, and settling down to sleep. Ignoring the discussion the two black cats started to plot.


	22. Chapter 21 - Gorsetail, Berrynose

**1 Moon 25 Sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Gorsetail awoke to the feeling of a paw touching her face. It was Crowfeather, she blinked in confusion.

"Wha- why are you waking me up? Dawn patrol?" she asked. Crowfeather shook his head.

"No. Onestar has informed me he is sick of Thunderclan cats taking our prey. We are to make a battle patrol to teach them a lesson." he twitched his ear. "Onestar wants the patrol to be huge, and a smaller patrol for reinforcements. You shall be part of the main patrol. Go wait under the Tallrock."

Gorsetail slowly got to her paws, and arched her back in a stretch, as she gazed up at the sky. Dawn light was just starting to light up the sky.

She grabbed a shrew from the fresh-kill pile, and started to wolf down her meal as she watched Crowfeather awaken more and more cats Sunstrike and Furzepelt passed by her, and took a mouse to share between them. Their heads close together while they whispered. However Furzepelt stopped and flicked her paw in annoyance.

"Oh look Sunstike, its the kit abandoner herself." she growled. "Looks like she's been making a move on _my_ Harespring."

"I didn't know you two were mates." Sunstrike responded looking confused.

"Not yet, but he will be one day." she hissed, her tail lashing.

Gorsetail turned her head, to see Heathertail and Harespring walking side by side down the steep grassy slope. Crowfeather also saw them, and called out to Harespring to join the patrol as Heathertail made her way to the nursery. Gorsetail couldn't ignore Furzepelt whispering something to Sunstrike. But the tortoise-shell she-cat just looked anxiously at Heathertail and gave her a small smile.

Once Heathertail was out of sight in the nursery, she heard Furzepelt speak up again.

"I can't believe she was my mentor." she sneered, "It's a miracle I turned out alright." Harespring overheard her, and turned his head to her, his fur bristling.

"I'm sure Heathertail taught you some manners. It's not her fault you seem to have forgotten them." he hissed, before turning his back on her, and grabbing a rabbit from the fresh-kill pile and taking it to Owlwhisker and Boulderfur.

Gorsetail's whiskers twitched as she saw the look of embarrassment on Furzepelts face. Especially as Sunstrike stood up and walked away from her, to sit with Applepaw. After finishing her meal, she decides to spend time grooming her pelt.

Onestar finally emerged from his den, his short brown fur well-groomed, but he looked very tired. Gorsetail knew why, but didn't feel like asking him about it. She stopped grooming herself as she watched Onestar clamber up the Tallrock to start a speech.

"Cat's of Windclan." he began, looking down at the two patrols. "Today is the day we teach Thunderclan a lesson. We had been united during the Dark Forest Battle only. They have over-stayed their welcome, stealing prey and leaving carcasses on our ground."

"Thunderclan thinks they can do what they like! No more!" she heard Owlwhisker yell. Yowls of agreement came from many cats, though a quick look around showed Crowfeather had not joined in. His expression unreadable.

Onestar raised his tail, wanting silence.

This might be a border skirmish, but we will not hold back. We will show them Windclan is as strong as ever!" Onestar yowled, and Gorsetail yowled in agreement. She felt the adrenaline slowly ocurse through her body. She was more than ready to take on Thunderclan!

"For the last time, wake up you lazy hairball!" Squirrelflight mewed crossly.

"Hey I'm awake already! Just give me a heartbeat alright" Berrynose complained, opening his amber eyes to see Squirrelflight jabbing him impatiently with her one white paw. The dark ginger she-cat didn't look convinced.

"Once your actually awake and eaten, you'll be joining Mousewhisker, Ivypool, Rosepetal and Molepaw on a border patrol along the Windclan border." she remarked, moving away from him. Berrynose blinked the sleep out of his eyes, and slowly got up. Trying not to disturb his mate Poppyfrost as he exited the den.

He smiled warmly as he saw his son Molepaw eating a blackbird with Purdy. It had almost been a moon since his daughter Cherrypaw had been claimed by Greencough. His heart still ached as he thought about her. And he knew deep down that ache would never go away. He approached the fresh-kill pile, and selected a shrew. Most cats hated the bitter flavour, but Berrynose knew it'd help him wake up. He padded over to Molepaw, and sat down next to him. Giving him a gently nudge with one of his broad shoulders.

"How are you doing today son?" He asked, watching his son closely. The brown and cream tom didn't respond right away, he just pulled some feathers off of his food idly with his paw.

"Good, I guess." he replied, his blue eyes staring hard at the prey in front of him. Purdy joined in the conversation as usual.

"We was just talkin' about what his warrior name might be." the old tom rasped, swiping his tonuge around his muzzle before taking another bite of food. Berrynose let out an encouraging purr as he looked at his son.

"Great! What do you think you'll get? Maybe Molenose, like your favourite tom in all the clans?"

"I don't know really." Molepaw mewed, sounding like all the joy had been sucked out of him. "Cherrypaw wanted her name to be Cherryblossom."

Berrynose felt his heart ache. That _would_ have been the perfect name for her. But he forced a smile on his face, even though all he wanted to do was weep.

"That would have been great. " Was all he managed to say. Molepaw still didn't look up.

"Mhm." was his reply. As Purdy chimed in again.

"I'm not big on this whole 'changin names' thing. But the name Moleheart has a nice ring t'it." he mewed, before slowly getting up. "I'll leave you two to it." he said before walking away and towards the dirtplace tunnel.

The tom toms sat in silence, finishing their food. Before Berrynose tried to make a conversation again.

"You know, we haven't been out on a family hunting patrol in a while. When we're finished patrolling, I'm sure Poppyfrost wouldn't mind-"

"No thanks." Molepaw interrupted, letting out a sigh. "I just don't feel like it."

"Oh. Alright then." Berrynose said, before looking at the rest of the patrol. They had finished their food and were off to bury the scraps. "Let's go bury the leftovers."

"OK." Molepaw sighed and picked up the Blackbird by its wing, and slowly walked after the patrol. Berrynose eyed his son worriedly. It seemed like his son would never heal from his loss, not even a little bit.

He made his way out of camp, and approached Ivypool, Mousewhisker and Rosepetal. All gathered under a tree. He started to dig, his large paws effortlessly digging through the dirt. He dropped his shrew carcass down and quickly covered it, before looking at the group.

"Who's leading the patrol?" he asked. Rosepetal raised her long slender tail in response. Silently they started to head through the undergrowth. He positioned himself at the rear, as Molepaw was in the centre of the patrol. As they reached the start of the scent markers, he noticed his brother Mousewhisker drop to the back of the patrol to speak to him.

"How're you two coping?" he whispered, his green eyes round with worry. Berrynose simply shook his head and replied with.

"We aren't." his amber eyes fixed sadly onto his son.

Mousewhisker nodded, and looked at Molepaw walking along in front of him.

"He just needs time. That's all." He mewed, before moving back to his place in the patrol.

"I'm starting to think time doesn't heal all wounds." he muttered quietly, hoping no one heard him. " _I've barely healed after Honeyfern's death. I still partly blame Briarlight for it. I know that's wrong but I can't help it. She was expecting kits, for Starclan's sake._ "

He didn't notice his patrol stop in front of him, and he bumped into Molepaw. Shaking his head he looked ahead clear, he looked at who was in front of the patrol. It was Onestar, stood on his own border. Crowfeather Harespring, and a small apprentice stood either side of him. He could see several more cats behind them. Owlwhisker, Sunstrike, Furzepaw... This wasn't a normal Windclan patrol, he realized, and unsheathed his claws. Rosepetal took a step forward.

"Onestar, what are you doing so close to our border?" she asked. Her voice sounded calm, but Berrynose noticed her back legs wobbling a bit.

"We're sick of you prey-stealer's getting away with your deeds." He hissed, stepping aside and showing a half eaten, rotting rabbit carcass. "We've found many of these thrown along our border. Now it's time for you all to pay."

Rosepetal and Ivypool exchanged confused glances, as Mousewhisker called out.

"We've found carcasses along our border too! How do we know it isn't your clan doing it?!"

Crowfeather hissed, and stood at the very end of the stream bank, his claws hooked into the mud.

"How dare you imply we our thieves! Windclan only eat what the moorlands provide us!" the smoky gray tom looked furious, his tail lashing.

Beyynose could clearly see a fight was about to break out any moment. He looked down at his son Molepaw. The large apprentice was crouched, ready to spring at the Windclan apprentice. But Berrynose couldn't shake away the image of his son being injured in battle. He leaned forward and whispered into his ear.

"Molepaw. We're out numbered, go back to Thunderclan and get more warriors." Molepaw tured his head to look at him, his blue eyes showing hurt and anger.

"You're just saying that because you don't want me to fight." he hissed quietly. Berrynose blinked, was it so obvious? He shook his head impatiently, and he continued to eye the large Windclan patrol as Rosepetal and Ivypool tried to convince them not to fight.

"Molepaw please. If anything happened to you- just go get Bramblestar!" he growled. Molepaw opened his mouth to object. But jumped as he heard Onestar call.

"Windclan! Attack!" and the slender cats leaped across the border and at the patrol in swift movements.

"Go! Now!" Berrynose hissed, shoving past his son and colliding into Sunstrike, The small tortoise-shell snarled and rolled underneath him, scratching and tearing at his thick stomach fur. He let out a hiss of pain, but looked back. Relieved to see his son disappearing into the forest. He was jolted back to his senses by another swipe at his stomach. This one connecting to his skin. He yelped in pain, but instead of getting off of her, he brought his heavyweight down on top of her. He smirked as Sunstrike tried despratley to wriggle free. He crouched, anfd lept backwards. Freeing the little cat, only to bump into a fight Crowfeather and Ivypool were having. The two cats rolling along, claws colliding with each others stomachs. Berrynose realized that these cats weren't fighting like a normal patrol. They were here to mean business.

He watched as Sunstrike ran towards him, claws outstretched. Berrynose crouched and jumped over her, twisting mid air so he could face her when she turned around. Quickly he raked his curved claws along her muzzle. She yowled in pain, and raced away from him. Leaping over the stream border.

" _One down... the whole of Windclan left._ " he realized, as he watched three warriors gang up on Mousewhisker. He ran towards them, hurling insults. But was bowled over by a pale gray and white she-cat.

"Where do you think you're going _Kittypet_?" she snarled, before biting down on his neck. He snarled and kicked out desperately, trying to get her off of him. But constantly missing. He tried to roll over, on to feel another pair of paws pressing down on his head.

He was gasping for air now, trying to ignore the searing pain in his neck. He thought the forest started to fade to black, when he heard Bramblestar's voice yell out.

"Thunderclan! Attack!"

Berrynose felt the weight from his head go, and he finally rolled over, and kicked out his strong back paws. He smirked as he felt the she-cat knocked away from him. Giving him time to get back to his paws and look around. He could see Bramblestar now wrestling with Onestar. Lionblaze and Harespring were matching each other blow for blow. Bumblestripe and Blossomfall were helping Rosepetal fight off two toms. Berrynose quickly turned his attention back to the pale she-cat who attacked him. She was racing towards him again. He leapt to the side, and grabbed and bit down hard on her tail.

She screeched, trying to race away from him. But he refused to let go, pressing down harder on her tail. Finally once her screeches were too much, even for him, he let go and watched her flee. Her tail missing a lot of fur and bleeding badly. He heard Bramblestar hissing at Onestar.

"We've not stolen any prey!" he hissed, but Onestar ignored him, and lunged for his throat.

"Bramblestar!" Berrynose yelled, rushing forward and biting down on Onestar's neck, dragging him off of his leader. Bramblestar went limp, and stopped moving. Onestar whirled around and slashed Berrynose's face. Before diving his claws into his neck wound. Berrynose staggered back, before blindly flailing his limbs at him. Hoping for a connection. But he felt nothing. He blinked only to see Onestar had turned his attention to going to the border.

"They're retreating?" he breathed, hope flaring in his stomach, only for it to vanish entirely when Onestar yelled out.

"Patrol Two! Attack!"

Gorsetail groaned and staggered away from the action, checking her tail. That fox-heart Berrynose had injured it badly. A part of it dangling lifelessly as she moved it, and sheep dirt! It stung a lot. She gazed around at the action, relaxing a bit seeing that they were in fact winning. Her gaze settled on the unconscious Bramblestar in the thick of the battle.

"He's losing a life." she realized, and quickly dragged her gaze to Onestar. She watched him inhale deeply and let out a furious yowl.

"Patrol Two! Attack!"

Gorsetail watched I amazement as more warriors came running from the cover of the few trees on their territory, leaping over the border and right into battle. She recognized Lionblaze fighting off Furzepelt, and dived in to battle to defend her. Knowing that Lionblaze had trained in the Dark Forest.

"Get away from her you dog!" she snarled, pouncing forward and swiping at his face, but the large golden tabby ducked down, and shoved his back into her, tripping her up. As she got back to her paws, she noticed Bramblestar moving..

"So how many lives will it take for you to learn Bramblestar. Do not steal Windclan's prey!" she watched as the dark tabby tom got to his paws unevenly. His greenish amber eyes furious slits.

"We didn't steal your prey." he retorted. Gorsetail couldn't help but stare at the blood dripping from his neck.

"Your warriors are out numbered. Just retreat, and we'll pretend this never had to happen." Onestar growled. Bramblestar's gaze flickered around the battle field. He could see many of his own clan pinned down or bleeding badly. Gorsetail saw his gaze linger the longest on Lionblaze, who was struggling against two cats now. Bramblestar hung his head briefly, before inhaling.

"Thunderclan! We have lost to Windclan! Retreat!" Onestar nodded looking satisfied. Gorsetail heard Lionblaze hiss out a defeated " _N-no. No way..._ " before dashing over to his leader. Bramblestar whispered something to the golden tabby, and as the Thunderclan warriors got to their feet he added.

"This battle was uncalled for. Blaming us for rogues stealing prey! Thunderclan will not forget this act of malice." he snarled, towering over the small Windclan leader. Before turning away. Watching all his warriors disappear into the forest, before plunging deep into the undergrowth. Out of sight.

"We did it!" Gorsetail called out, breaking the silence. Many other Windclan cats joined in the cheering and yowling. But again she noticed Crowfeather hadn't joined in. The deputy had small scratches on him, but nothing major.

"Is anyone badly injured?" Crowfeather called out above the cheering. Gorsetail looked at her tail. It definitely didn't look good.

"My tail hurts." she mewed.

"My head feels funny." Owlwhisker added. She glanced at him and froze. The light brown tabby had a large wound on his head, that was bleeding badly. She glanced at Onestar, his amber eyes were dark with worry.

"We will head back to Windclan victorious! Today was a day we will not forget!" He called out, padding towards the border. Gorsetail guessed it was to stop other cats worrying about Owlwhisker. "Crowfeather, arrange a hunting patrol our unharmed warriors can go on. We shall feast today!"

The little tom leapt across and landed back in Windclan territory. Followed by many warriors. Owlwhisker crouched, then sprang. But he misjudged the jump, and his back paws slipped against the stream bank. Furezepelt quickly grabbed him by the scruff, and hauled him up. Gorsetail bunched her muscles underneath her, and leapt. She easily made it across, she let out a small purr, before jumping at the pain that came from her tail.

"Let's see." Crowfeather began, looking at all his warriors. "Crouchfoot. You and Finchpa-" he broke off, as he noticed all the warriors were staring behind him. Gorsetail followed their gaze, and saw little Applepaw racing along the moorland, looking ragged and out of breath.

"What is it Applepaw?" Onestar asked the little apprentice as she staggered up to them.

"Nightcloud ... She managed to get in to the camp! We think she tried to steal Heathertail's kits!" Applepaw managed to gasp out, clearly trying to get her breath back. As soon as she finished speaking Gorsetail heard Harespring let out a furious hiss, and push forward past his clan mates.

"Did he take them?" Onestar demanded, moving his tail across Haresprings way, refusing to let him past.

"No. Whitetail and Daisyfield returned to camp-"

"What were they doing out of camp?!" Onestar exclaimed angrily, causing Applepaw to shrink into the grass in fear. Onestar stalked past her, Applepaw quickly ran after him, relaying information.

"That loner Maybelle... Nightcloud had stolen her kits I think. She was frantic. Whitetail and Daisyfield went with the guards to help her."she managed to say, before straightening herself up. Nightcloud came running into the camp a while later and attacked me! Me and the elders gave chase. After we lost her I came straight here. Honest!"

Now the whole clan were racing towards camp. Even the most wounded warriors did not slow their pace by much. Onestar halted at the top of the slope. And all the warriors peered down. The scent of Nightcloud was everywhere, like she had ran all around in some sick game to wind up the Clan.

Onestar marched right down the slope and into the nursery to check on his family. Crowfeather started asking Tornear questions about what happened. Most warriors looked at each other, not sure what to do. Until Owlwhisker let out a low groan.

"Head hurts." he grumbled. Stumbling over to the medicine cat den. Gorsetail followed anxiously. She could see Hailpaw in the far corner sorting herbs. Though he looked shaken up. Kestrelflight quickly padded over and started to check Owlwhisker, a worried look on his face.

"You've had a fall haven't you." Kestrelflight mewed, trying to keep his tone positive.

"Yeah. Lionblaze knocked me into the stream, and I smacked my head on a stone. But I climbed back out and kept fighting." he grumbled, his eyes unfocused.

"I'm sure you did." Kestrelflight mewed, moving his paws off of Owlwhiskers head. "There's nothing I can give you currently. Most herbs will make you sleepy. You cannot go to sleep until moonhigh understand?"

"Why?" Gorsetail asked.

"If he sleeps before his head has time to heal, he'll die." Kestrelflight said bluntly. Both warriors looked at each other. The light brown tabby quickly nodded.

"Alright, I'll go on a hunting party-"

"No. you need to rest. Just don't sleep." Kestrelflight sighed, looking thoughtful. "Keep an eye on the apprentices, they're a bit shaken up. Applepaw especially." Owlwhisker nodded, and got to his paws and left. Kestrelflight turned his attention to Gorsetail, immediately noticing her tail. "Oh Starclan." he breathed, gorsetail felt her fur rise. She knew it wasn't good.

"You can fix it right?" she asked, her voice wavering. Kestrelflight didn't know how to respond, just motioned for her to lie down. She knew then that this was permanent.

"We can't fix broken tails. They simply don't mend on their own. I'm... Going to have to remove it."

Gorsetail covered her face with her paws, trying not to cry as Kestrelflight kept talkng.

"I'll give you poppy seeds for shock, and comfrey to hlp fix your wound when I..." he didn't finish. And Gorsetail didn't turn to face him. She just started to sob quietly. Unable to be consoled in any way.

Berrynose limped back into the camp along side many other battered and bruised warriors. His face and stomach all stung from sharp slashes he received in battle. But he knew he was fine otherwise. But Lionblaze? He glanced over to the giant golden tabby. He had a scratch mark on his shoulder, and he just looked defeated. His eyes glazed over as he walked next to Bramblestar.

As they pushed their way through the camp entrance, Squirrelflight and Leafpool hurried over. The medicine-cat carrying a large amount of herbs in her jaws. Jayfeather trailed behind them, his tail covered in cobwebs.

He watched as more cats came out from their dens, expecting to hear the great news that Thunderclan had won again. But nothing.

"Did you teach Windclan a lesson?" called Dustpelt curiously. Bramblestar shook his head before speaking.

"No. we lost the battle." he said, loud enough for all to hear him. Berrynose felt his ears flatten to his head as he looked around and saw everyone's shocked and disappointed faces. His pelt burned with shame. Thunderclan hadn't lost a fight in... Many, many moons.

"How could we have lost?!" Dustpelt yelled in confusion, marching over to the returning warriors and jabbing his paw at Lionblaze. "I thought you were the best fighter in all the clans!"

Lionblaze opened his mouth, ready to say something nasty. But Bramblestar cut in first.

"Even the best warriors in the best clans have to lose eventually."

Berrynose stepped away from the conversation, and looked around the camp. To see his mate Poppyfrost, her tail wrapped around Molepaw. He approached the two of them, putting on a forced smile. Poppyfrost gazed at him, and said nothing as he sat down next to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked uncertainly, not liking the look she gave him.

"Molepaw told me you didn't let him fight." she growled agitatedly. "He wanted to prove to you he was getting better." Berrynose felt his heart sink, but he still spoke.

"I understand that, but my patrol was vastly out numbered. Molepaw was the fastest chance of getting back to Thunderclan. I couldn't send Mousewhisker!"

"We both know Mousewhisker is speedy despite his size, and has longer legs than our son." she said. As Molepaw finally looked at him. Berrynose felt himself start to lose his temper.

"You weren't there Poppyfrost." he hissed. "If you had seen how many cats were there, you would have done the same!" she didn't respond, she just looked away from him. Molepaw was still looking at him though. He looked sad again.

"If Cherrypaw had been alive you'd have let me fight." was all his son had to say, before walking away towards the elders den. "I need to check Cloudtail for ticks." after his son disappeared out of sight, Berrynose turned back to his mate, only to see her walking away too, calling over her shoulder.

"I'm going hunting. See if I can get my son his favourite!"

Berrynose just sat there in the dirt, ignoring the blood that ran down his chest, and forcing the anger he felt towards his family away. As he headed towards Leafpool's den, planning to help himself to some cobwebs.


	23. Chapter 22 - Crowfeather

**2 Moons and three sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

The sun was starting to rise over the Horseplace. The sky turning various shades of pink, orange and red. Crowfeather got to his paws, and carefully woke up Palescar. The furless tom looked puzzled as to why the deputy was stood over him, but he quickly got to his paws as he remembered, and headed over to the Tallrock to wait for battle plans.

He decided to wake Sunstrike and take her along, her Dark Forest training might prove useful. Crowfeather carefully stepped over the other cats, before jabbing the tortoiseshell sharply with a paw. She was much slower to wake up, and looked confused for a moment. Crowfeather just sighed and flicked his tail towards the Tallrock. The she-cat simply nodded and scurried to join Palescar. Crowfeather eyes the rest of his warriors carefully. Many had sustained fairly obvious wounds from the border skirmish. However, they had won, and Thunderclan wasn't extending its territory any time soon. Even if they hadn't settled on who had been leaving rotting corpses of prey on the borders. He put his mind on the task at hand. He wanted at least one more warrior…

He stepped over the sleeping bodies of Applepaw and Finchpaw, and peered into the Nursery. Daisyfield was awake, grooming herself, only to stop mid lick as Crowfeather looked at her. She quickly got the hint, and followed the smoky gray tom to the Tallrock. Palescar had already drawn a rough attack plan on the dirt near the rocks. With a large paw print marking where the stables were, and small bits of twigs and pebbles for the warriors and loners. Crowfeather slowly moved them around with his paw.

"Alright, this is our attack plan." He began, moving a small pebble and a twig towards the paw print. "Myself and Palescar will approach from the front, however we must travel the long way, through the trees and long grass. We will most likely be unnoticed by this route." He noticed Palescar slowly nod in agreement, feeling confident already, Crowfeather quickly scratched a rough few lines in the ground near the paw print. "Here are the places the Horses are kept. Daisyfield, I want you to position yourself there, in case either of them-"

"Could Sunstrike maybe do that?" Daisyfield asked hopefully, as all the cats just stared at her. "I-i… I don't like horses." She mumbled embarrassedly. Palescar blinked warmly at her.

"I'm sure we-"

"No. Daisyfield I need you there specifically." Crowfeather interrupted with an impatient flick of his tail. "This is the least likely route they will take to escape. You haven't fought in a battle for a while, but we know you are fast. You could bring down Nightcloud or Breezepelt if they do take that route." Daisyfield looked down, and didn't respond. Crowfeather quickly moved the last twig to the other side of the barn, where the Thunderpath was. "Sunstrike, I will try and drive them towards you. Stay out of sight until you hear battling." Crowfeather sat back, thinking hard, feeling like he had forgotten something…

"What about the roof?" Daisyfield asked quietly, catching all their attention. "Maybelle when I helped carry her kit back, mentioned that the roof has a broken window, which is where she sits to watch clouds…"

"You're saying we should drive them to the roof?" Crowfeather checked. Daisyfield nodded.

"Well… They couldn't get away if you two got them up there, unless they jumped."

Palescar nodded eagerly. "Sounds like a good idea, don't you think Crowfeather?"

Crowfeather's whiskers twitched ever so slightly, he could tell the furless warrior had a large crush on the dark tortoise-shell. "We'll see, they might get up there, or they might straight up flee. We'll go with my plan, but if it goes sour, Daisyfield run for backup, I'll let out as loud a wail as I can."

All the cats nodded solemnly. Crowfeather got to his paws, and scanned each of them with his deep blue eyes. "Remember, this isn't a normal rogue attack. If you see Breezepelt… Do whatever you can… To stop him hurting others." His whispered, turning away and starting to bound across the moorland with his patrol behind him.

He forced himself to keep in mind that Breezepelt showed no mercy to any cat, and if he must end the black tom himself, so be it.

The cats emerged out of the wooded area, and Crowfeather watched Sunstrike and Daisyfield get into position. He took notice of the fact the horses were out already, rowdy and agitated. They probably hadn't eaten yet. Once he saw both she-cats wave their tails, he signalled with Palescar to slink slowly towards the doors.

"What about Maybelle?" Palescar whispered as they approached, Crowfeather blinked. Mousedung! He had forgotten she was in there!

"Do not harm her, or her kit. Just focus on Breezepelt and Nightcloud." The skinny tom dipped his head, and the two got to the narrow entrance, and listened closely. He could hear a cat's slow breathing, and the soft suckling noise of a kit having some food. Crowfeather nodded at Palescar, and slowly pushed his head through the gap, careful not to make a noise, and let his eyes adjust to the dark.

He could see Maybelle, the white she-cat was curled up not far from the entrance, with her kit, he slowly took in the surroundings. As it was dark, there were plenty of places to hide. He rippled his tail as a warning sign, before squeezing the rest of himself in quietly. He heard scuffling to his right, and glared towards it, only to see the outline of a plump mouse in the shadows. Palescar had just started to push his body through, when the squeal of a mouse was heard, then the snap of its neck. Crowfeather blinked, and his eyes made out the barely visible outline of Breezepelt.

"Hello father." He hissed, his voice full of scorn. Instantly Crowfeather unsheathed his claws.

"You're no son of mine anymore! Windclan! Attack!" he yowled, racing towards him, only for Breezepelt to dash forward, underneath him, knocking his back legs out from under himself, he hit the ground, and rolled over quickly, back to his paws. He noticed Palescar charge further in to the Horseplace, guessing he saw Nightcloud. He stared around again, trying to locate his son.

Maybelle had shot up in shock at Crowefeather's cry, and after blinking the sleep from her eyes, she quickly grasped her kit and forced herself roughly through the entrance.

He heard pained yowling, and he turned to see Palescar struggling against both black cats, who were clearly aiming for his exposed throat and stomach, since he had no fur at all to protect himself from the attacks, Crowfeather raced across the wooden floor, straw being flung in his wake, as he barrelled in to Breezepelt at full speed.

He focused solely on him, managing to match blow for blow against his son. However, he had no training with the Dark Forest, where's Breezepelt had seasons of experience. He reared up on his hind legs, and Crowfeather lunged forward to his stomach, only for him to smash his weight down on his father, knocking the air out of him, and flinging him into the wooden wall. As Crowfeather landed, he saw out of the corner of his eye Nightcloud race away from Palescar, and out of sight.

Crowfeather got back to his paws, and glared at his son, dark blue eyes locked with amber.

"You always were weak!" Breezepelt taunted, lurching forward and raising his left paw as if to land a painful blow, but as Crowfeather ducked right, Breezepelt quickly swapped paws and bashed him painfully in the right cheek. He saw the world around him blur, as he hit the ground again, and expected Breezepelt to tear open his throat, only in time to see Palescar launch himself at his son. Snarling and slashing painfully. Despite his dizziness, he forced himself to get back up, and join his clan mate side-by-side, matching blow for blow. He was vaguely aware of scuffling and clawing above him, and guessed that Nightcloud has escaped to the roof.

Breezepelt's eyes flickered upwards, and within that moment, Crowfeather leapt forward, and bit a hold of his ear, the two toms rolled together, snarling, and as the smoky gray tom leapt away, he saw he split his ear down the middle. Blood splashing on the ground, staining the yellow straw a deep crimson. Crowfeather stared in horror, feeling guilt stab at him when he saw the blood drip in his son's eyes. Breezepelt bared his teeth angrily at them.

"This isn't over." Was all he said, as he spun around and raced for the exit, with Crowfeather quickly mewing "Follow Nightcloud!" to Palescar, before streaking after his son. His small slender frame helping him get through the gap quicker than his son, but the fight had fatigued him. Ahead he saw Breezepelt streak past a gorse bush, only to be ambushed by Sunstrike, the small tortoiseshell screeching and snarling with fury as she latched on to him. Crowfeather stopped, getting his breath, when he became aware of a yowl from behind him.

He looked up in time, to see Palescar corner Nightcloud on the roof. He felt his heart practically leap into his throat, when he saw his former mate hiss, and turn tail and leap off of the roof – to land safely, if clumsily, but race through the Horseplace, he shook his head and looked back at Breezepelt. Only to see he had got to his paws, and was retreating across the Thunderpath. Sunstrike got up, blood dripping from her flanks where lots of fur had been bitten and torn away. They raced towards the Horseplace, just in time to see Nightcloud race across the muddy, straw strewn ground, weaving expertly between the aggressive horses. Daisyfield gave chase, as Crowfeather suspected, the queen was still amazingly fast, and was only a mouse-length away from Nightcloud's tail.

Time seemed to slow down immensely, as Nightcloud skidded past another horse, and raced between the gap in its front hooves. The horse panicked, and reared upwards, as Daisyfield smashed into its back legs. As she staggered to her paws, the horse slammed down the weight onto its front legs, and kicked out.

 _ **CRACK!**_

The tortoiseshell was launched into the air, and her body landed heavily against the thick wall, and hit the ground with a sickening thud. Crowfeather stared in horror her head was at a horrific angle, and her green eyes dull, lifeless and dark. Crowfeather backed up, shaking his head in horror. It was like Feathertail all over again. He staggered numbly over to her lifeless body. As Sunstrike let out a horrified wail, and he watched as Palescar reached her first, shaking her lifeless body frantically.

"Get up! Daisyfield get up! You can't do this! Please!" he sobbed into her fur. Crowfeather forced himself to look around. He narrowed his eyes, across the Thunderpath, the two black cats could be seen, watching. He let out a snarl, and turned his back on them, trying to get Palescar to his senses.

"Palescar, we need to move her!" he hissed, as the horses kept stamping their hooves angrily and kicking out. Palescar just stared dully at him.

"She's gone." He whispered. Crowfeather glanced at the horses, one had come closer. Sunstrike quickly darted forward, grabbing her back end. The smoky black tom shoved the furless tom aside, and grasped her neck, as the two quickly pulled her out of the mood, and outside the fence, before laying her body down.

Her claws were outstretched, as if still trying to grab the she-cat. He sighed, and gently nudged the grieving Palescar, as he had grabbed hold of her fur, and was whispering to her.

"We need to take her home." He said, unusually sympathetically to him, going to grab her scruff, only for Palescar to hiss, and shove Crowfeather's muzzle away with unsheathed claws.

"I'll do it!" he growled, glaring at the two of them, and started to drag Daisyfield along, slowly on their way back to camp.

Crowfeather watched dully as Kestrelflight and Hailpaw tried to check Palescar's gashes, only for him to shoo them away. He couldn't bring himself to look at Daisyfield.

It was his fault she had died. He was the one who ordered her to stay there, even though she had been terrified. He was the one intent on catching the rogues. He had been so focused on stopping his son… He didn't even notice Ashfoot limping towards him.

"It's okay to grieve. " she mewed, making him jump. He just stared at her uncertainly.

"I made a mistake, I didn't listen to her worries, and now she's dead." He grumbled, looking away. "I'm a terrible deputy."

"You know; I wasn't a perfect deputy either." She remarked, Crowfeather rolled his eyes.

"Sure. You were well respected, and cats followed you loyally." He retorted.

"Someone's forgetting the time, when we were setting borders with Riverclan, I foolishly declared battle with Mistyfoot's patrol. I didn't see the nearby snake, and once I had it was too late. Bugwing got bitten, froze up from the venom in his blood, and fell into the stream…" she sighed at the memory. "Many cats blamed me for that too." Crowfeather slowly turned to look at her.

"I've told you this story before, but remember when you had come back from… Trying to leave?" Crowfeather flattened his ears nervously, and focused on a nearby pebble.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember what happened to Logtail?"

"He… Drowned?"

"Yes. Because I asked him to check the tunnels, and to see if we could use them." She let out a sigh. "I still hear complaints from Tornear for that."

Crowfeather didn't reply, he was still staring hard at that pebble, refusing to look at anything #, as he felt all choked up and misty eyed.

"Death, is a part of life. We cannot avoid it. Starclan has it all planned out for us. We can't change our fates; we can only follow them." She leaned forward and licked his ear. "I'm so proud of you, my son." With that she limped away, back towards the elder's den.

Slowly, Crowfeather got to his paws, and sat down at Daisyfeilds outstretched body, and he leaned forward, and whispered to her ear.

"I hope you can forgive me." Only to stiffen as Palescar spoke.

"She has."

"How do you know?" Crowfeather asked, looking confused.

"Because when she died defending her Clan from bad cats. That's how she wanted to die, and you made her face her biggest fear…" he broke off, and just stared at her body.

"I miss when times were simpler." Palescar suddenly mewed. "Back when I was just a loner, and you were just the crabby cat who hated me freeloading off of the Clan."

Crowfeather felt his whiskers twitch, but said nothing. Still feeling guilty as he looked at her lifeless body.

"Me too." He murmured, as Ashfoot's conversation went through his head again.

" _We can't change our fates; we can only follow them."_ So Starclan had put him on the path of suffering? Why?

"Because it will make you stronger, a life without conflict is a life without learning." A very familiar voice whispered in his ear, he turned his head, to see the outline of a black she-cat with holly green eyes staring at him. He stared open jawed. He stared at her, unable to speak.

"Hollyleaf?" he whispered hoarsely. Her eyes twinkled with starlight. He glanced around, no other cat had seen her… Or maybe they couldn't see her?

"I never knew you as a father, but I know you as a warrior. You'd do anything for Windclan, and Starclan wish to challenge that." she mewed, before turning away. Crowfeather extended a paw, wanting to reach out to her, but forced himself to stop and watch her fade away.

" _You'll be a great leader one day. But until then, you must prove yourself over and over again. The code demands loyalty over all else."_


	24. Chapter 23 - Minnowtail

**Roughly 2 Moons after the Dark Forest Battle.**

Minnowtail padded along, keeping a steady pace. Constantly glancing over her shoulder as she approached one of the streams. Without a word, she slipped into the stream and swam across. She took care while getting out of the other side, making sure not to shake her pelt, or the water droplets could disturb whoever was guarding the camp.

She lifted her head up, and drank in the air. It seemed the guard is on watch further up the stream. With the wind blowing downstream, she could keep away and not get scented.

She pushed on through her territory. Jumping at every twig that snapped under her paws, every small rodent that scuttles by, and every hoot of an owl.

" _It almost isn't worth the heart-attack to see him._ " she mused quietly. " _Almost_."

She chose to swim under the Twoleg half-bridge, so her scent cannot be smelt on it by any patrols. Be they Riverclan or Shadowclan. She knew to keep paying attention as she swam into Shadowclan territory. Shadowclan cats hunt at night, and if she even sends a flicker of droplets across where she's swimming she could be caught and attacked.

Slowly and cautiously, she makes her way across the bank without stepping out the water, keeping low so only her head is visible above the water.

She pushed out again, swimming under Shadowclan's half-bridge.

" _Not far now."_ she thought, as Thunderclans bank near the base of the stream became visible.

Finally reaching the bank, she dragged herself onto the grassy undergrowth, and shook her fur out, sending droplets everywhere on the grass. Cautiously she takes cover under the nearby dawn redwood tree, making herself comfy against the large, winding roots.

"Now we wait." she purred, tucking her paws underneath her. Closing her eyes and feeling herself relax as pawsteps could be heard approaching. Minnowtail felt something gently tap her face, groggily she opens her eyes, only to sit up in eagerness at Mousewhisker's large pale face staring down at her.

"Hello my feisty fish." he purred, running his face against hers, before carefully climbing into the root nest next to her. "Did anyone see you?" he asked. She shook her head, purring quietly.

"I'm too good to get caught. You know that!" Mousewhisker nodded in agreement, and gently licked her ear.

"We might have to stop meeting here for the next quarter moon. Bramblestar wants to send more patrols down here, just to make sure Shadowclan isn't trying anything. You know how they are."

The two sat in silence, gently rubbing their heads together and purring, before Minnowtail broke the silence.

"I've got something to tell you…" Minnowtail began, looking into Mousewhiskers bright green eyes.

"I'm expecting your kits."

Mousewhisker's eyes lit up, with both joy and fear visible in his face. "T-that's great news… W-w-we'll make this work."

"I could come and join Thunderclan?" she stated, tilting her head to him. Mousewhisker shook his head worriedly. "No no, not a good idea. The clan only just started trusting me again." he looked at her, his green eyes full of worry. "Maybe I can join Riverclan?"

"I don't know, I'm sure Mistystar wouldn't mind, but the rest of the clan…"

They sat together in silence, listening to the crickets chirp and jump.

"I promise, when you have the kits. Somehow, I will come and see them." he mewed, certainty creeping back into his voice. "I will try and think of something. I'm sure in another moon, maybe Bramblestar will grow to the idea of… You may be joining. But I'm not going to make you join us. I know your heart belongs to the water." Without another word, Mousewhisker settled down close to Minnowtail, and nuzzled her gently. The two lay in silence for a while, before Mousewhisker spoke again.

"Did I ever tell you, I had such a huge crush on you when we were apprentices?" she let out an amused purr.

"No, but I always knew you did. You''ve never been exactly difficult to read." she looked at him properly. He was pouting at her.

"You wound me, my feisty fish."

"Oh hush, I didn't say your crush wasn't returned." Mousewhisker's ears twitched, and he looked vaguely surprised. "I thought you were very handsome, if a bit goofy looking. But you were different to the other cats in Riverclan. You weren't afraid to be playful and funny when you were so shy around me. That's what drew me to you."

With that the two lay together, purring until the fell asleep.

Minnowtail tiredly opened her eyes, and carefully got up. The sky was just going dawn. "I need to leave now, before Shadowclan's or Thunderclan's dawn patrol arrives." she whispered softly into Mousewhiskers ear.

"We'll make this work. _I promise_."


	25. Chapter 24 - Sandstorm

**2 Moons and 3 Sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Sandstorm let out a cry of pain, as her stomach let out a powerful contraction. Leafpool gently wedged a thick stick between her jaws.

"Bite down on that, it'll ease the pain somewhat." She urged

"When I kitted you two, Cinderpelt told me the exact same thing." Sandstorm retorted, her words slightly garbled as the stick stayed in her mouth. "And let me tell you, it didn't work then, it certainly won't- Argh!"

Jayfeather placed a small paw on Sandstorm's stomach, carefully feeling her. "They're coming, Sandstorm when I say so, push. Okay? Now… Push!"

Sandstorm let out a shriek, splintering her stick, as a small kit slithered out onto the nest. Jayfeather gave it a sniff, while Leafpool pushed some water-soaked moss towards her mother. "It's a she cat. But she is-" Jayfeather was cut off, as Sandstorm let out another cry, as another kit slid out.

"A tom!" Jayfeather mewed, carefully pawing at Sandstorm's stomach again.

"I feel.. Another.." Sandstorm gasped out, and with a tried cry of determination, the last kit came out next to her siblings.

"Another she-kit! But Leafpool, quick help me lick these kits."

"Why? What's wrong?" Sandstorm gasped out, trying to sit up. Leafpool darted over, and started lapping at the other little she-kit.

"Daisy!" Jayfeather called, the older cream she-cat looked over. Her belly swollen with more kits." Come help us, these kit's are.." Without another word Daisy rushed over, and started licking the tom kits fur the opposite way, warming it up. Sandstorm gazed in horror at her kits.

"All Stillborns… Starclan, why?" she wondered dully. But her ears pricked up when the tom kit suddenly let out a wail. "My kit, my precious kit" she gasped in shock, as Daisy brought it towards her. Almost instantly the little tom wriggled around while Daisy gently placed him down. It slowly made it's way to Sandstorm's belly, and started to suckle. Sandstorm's eyes softened, and she let out a tired purr. Only for Leafpool to speak up.

"Sandstorm…" the older she-cat looked up. At Leafpool's paws, were the other two kit's. Still. Lifeless. Dead.

"I'm sorry… Did you want to name them before we..?"

She lifted her tail, and pointed at the smallest one, her almost white fur shone in the dark. "She is Daisykit. The other is Sparkkit" she murmured, before closing her eyes tight. Wordlessly the medicine cats and Daisy slipped away, giving the older queen some privacy.

When Sandstorm reopened her eyes. it was Sundown. Tiredly she looked down at her last remaining kit. His fur was fluffy, and while pale ginger, the sunlight made his pelt shine almost golden in the Nursery. She let out a tired purr, and gently rasped the kit's head.

"Rest well, my little Goldenkit." as she looked up, she could see a faint outline of a cat and two kits, looking over at her, as she inhaled a familiar scent.

"Watch over us, my love." she begged quietly.


	26. Chapter 25 - Smoke and Soot

**2 Moons and a quarter since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Slowly, the little kit opened her eyes, and blearily looked around. Everything was soft and fuzzy. Was this how the world was? She blinked, and everything cleared up. She could see she was lay on rough, uncomfortable strands of yellowy golden stuff. Curiously, she reached out and batted it with her paw. It moved! She batted it again, and again! This was fun! She gazed around, looking for something else to enjoy. She couldn't see her mama, but then again she had never seen mama before, only felt her. Maybe she was here, and she couldn't see her…

" _She isn't here."_

Panicked, the kit looked about again, and shakily wriggled forward to see slightly more. Who was that?! However, her head felt heavy, and she lay back down again, though she started to pat her head, curiously feeling her fur, when she jumped. Her right side of her head felt odd, not like her left.

" _Ow, you poked my eye!"_ she heard the voice again, and she let out a small confused wail.

" _Soot calm down, we are fine."_ The squeaky voice assured her. " _I've spoken to you before. Sometimes I help you remember how to purr. It's me! Smoke!"_ Soot stopped squirming. Of course it was Smoke! She was so silly. Relieved, she let out a small yawn, before looking around again. She could see even further now, but she was getting tired, and settled down to sleep.

Soot blinked open her eyes, to see a skinny, ungroomed black cat sneaking around the stables. Was that mama?

"Maaa? Maamaa?" she tried to mew, wobbly getting to her uneven paws. The cat froze, then slowly turned to look at her. She felt her pelt prickle somewhat, as the cat's amber eyes watched her. She shakily wobbled forward, wanting milk now. "Maa!" she wailed, the cat just continued to watch, before it stepped over the kit, lay down, and slowly pulled the kit words it. Soot blinked, there was no soft milk scent! This wasn't ma'…

She stopped, hearing the familiar scrabbling noise, and instantly tried to look towards when it was coming from. There was a small gap in the fence, and she watched as a small white head, with large ears peered through the gap. The cat looked terrified as it stared at the black cat with her kit.

"Breezepelt!" it hissed. Soot's ears pricked up eagerly, that was mama's voice! She went to call her, but the cat, Breezepelt started talking.

"Hello." He mewed coolly, his paws wrapped around the kit. She watched her mama step forward, her pelt bristling with uncertainly.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked, taking another step forward. Breezepelt yawned tiredly.

"I'm spending time with Smoot." He replied. Soot stiffened, she started to feel really nervous. The cat's paws were outstretched, like a ring in front of her, holding her in.

" _Soot, when he moves his paws, run towards Mama_." Smokes advice rang through her fluffy heads. She crouched, waiting for the perfect moment, as her mother got closer.

"You can't stay here! Crowfeather sends a patrol up every other sunrise!" she hissed angrily. Breezepelt scoffed, and raised a paw up. His claws sliding out.

"I'm not afraid of that coward." He scoffed, waving his paw for emphasise.

" _Now!"_ Soot half limped, half ran towards her mother, catching both cats by surprise as she flopped over just out of Breezepelt's reach, her head smacking roughly on the wood, leading both kits to wail in pain. Maybelle dashed forward protectively, purring and cooing at her.

"You've opened your eyes! And you're walking! Oh you two are just the most talented kits!" she cooed, licking Soot and Smoke's faces thoroughly, stopping them from crying. However, she looked up and stared at Breezepelt, her violet eyes narrowed into furious slits. "Catch as much prey as you can carry for yourself and Nightcloud, then leave." She growled. Sighing, Breezepelt got to his paws, and padded over to her.

"I thought we were _friends._ " He said accusingly, as he sauntered past her.

"We are, but I can't have my kits in danger! Windclan are making so many patrols, I know they're suspecting me too." she hissed, before grabbing Smoot by the scruff, and carrying her back to her nest. She lowered her down gently, before turning around to face Breezepelt, who had stopped to watch them, his expression unreadable.

"So, we are friends?" he repeated. Smoke noticed Maybelle's tail ripple, she didn't quite understand what that meant, but she guessed it wasn't good.

"Yes." She mewed evenly. Breezepelt hesitated, before dipping his head, and disappearing into the darkness. Smoke stared up at her mama, and let out a pitiful wail to catch her attention, she quickly looked at her.

"Sorry darlings, I'll feed you in a moment." She mewed, before looking back at the darkness. A few squeals from rodents later, Breezepelt padded out, carrying six mice by their tails, he dipped his head curtly, then disappeared through the gap in the stables.

Sighing, Maybelle turned back to her kit, and started to settle down next to her. "I'll never understand that tom." She muttered, pulling her towards her belly. She watched Maybelle lie down, and close her eyes as she drifted off to sleep

" _A tom. What is a tom."_ she wondered.

A quarter moon later, Smoot had learned to walk properly, well it was more of a limping gait than a walk. But to her it seemed natural. She was tottering outside, as the sun shone down on her fur. She was still very small. The soft, rain soaked springy grass was up to her legs, as she slowly trudged forward.

" _Don't go to the fence!"_ Smoke reminded her, glancing up, she saw the fence approaching, she quickly turned away and headed towards the moorland instead.

Maybelle had gone to find some tansy, as Smoke had a sore throat. Soot didn't, but she did feel very warm. She just continued to trudge along, until she found the grass became shorter and shorter, until she could walk properly on the grass.

" _We've gone too far!"_ Smoke told her, and Soot glanced behind her. The stables were quite far away, but she didn't really care. She was doing something new! She just shrugged away Smoke's worrying, and continued to observe her surroundings. She saw a puddle not too far away, left over from the light rain that had fallen throughout the night. Curious, she limped over, and looked down at the puddle, only to freeze at what she saw.

In the puddle was a dark coloured kit, with a large misshapen head, with four eyes and two muzzles. Soot stared. This couldn't be her! She noticed a string of drool coming from one of the heads jaws, and carefully lifted her paw to wipe it away, only to stare in horror. It _was_ her.

She continued to stare, until everything blurred around her, and she sobbed sadly, and started to whine and wail. Smoke was silent too, as if shocked they looked so different to other cats. She continued to sob and wail, after a while Smoke joined in, unable to make proper words, but a wordless, sad wail.

"Are you okay?" A quite voice rang out catching both of them by surprise, quickly a she could manage, Soot turned around, to see a brown tom with small white flecks all down his pelt, and bright green eyes watching her. She hesitated, Maybelle told her not to speak to cats she doesn't know. But, Maybelle wasn't here...

"Yesss," She managed to choke out, in her broken, jumbled way she spoke. The tom just tilted his head slightly.

"Why are you crying little one?" he asked gently.

"Ah.. I… Uhglee" she choked out, pointing her tail at the muddy puddle.

"Why, what did you see?" he stepped forward, and peered into the puddle. "I don't see anything ugly?" Soot gave him a look, and pointed at herself with her twisted paw.

"Uhgleee!" she choked out, and the brown tom's green eyes softened at her.

"Does Maybelle think your ugly?" he asked, making her blink in surprise that he knew her mama.

"…Noo?"

"I see. I don't think you're ugly either. You're just different, little kit." He mewed kindly, before picking up a small daisy, and gently placing it on her head. "You are like a flower. Most flowers have one stem, and bloom only one flower." He gestured at a lot of daisy's growing in the thicker grass, before padding past her, talking over his shoulder as he approached some small purple flowers. "But, you see this plant? It has one stem, and blooms multiple heads." He turned and dropped the plant in front of her, in the puddle. She stood and peered into the puddle now, and purred.

"That plant I call the purple stems, but you know what? I think I should call it the purple smoke!" he purred, the little cat jumped up eagerly.

"Mah name!" she cooed, and the tom nodded at her.

"It is indeed! I have to go now, but I'll come by and visit whenever I can, okay Smokekit?"

"Smokekit?" she amaged to echo, looking puzzled.

"Sorry! Just Smoke then." He blinked kindly at the smaller head. "Do you have a name?" the head opened her mouth, but all that came out was garbled cries.

"Sheee Soot." Smoke quickly mewed, and he nodded.

"Well then Smoke, Soot. I have to go now, you best head back to the stables, it looks like rain might fall." With that he turned away and started to bound across the moorland, out of sight. "Tell Maybelle I said hi!"


	27. Chapter 26 - The Second Half-Moon

Kestrelflight cheerfully padded up the steep Moonpool path, alongside Willowshine and Mothwing. Hailpaw had already reached the pool, and was hopefully waiting there patiently…

As he reached the top, he noticed Hailpaw was already asleep. He scowled at his apprentice, as the Riverclan cats cooed at his cuteness.

"He's only little, he'll learn." Mothwing remarked, settling down next to the gray apprentice.

"He's eight moons!" Kestrelflight retorted, only to be shushed by Willowshine.

"Don't wake him!" she whispered, quietly crouching near the edge of the pool. Kestrelflight just snorted rudely, and stormed off the other path to the pool, and peered down. Seeing Leafpool, Littlecloud and Jayfeather limping up the path. Jayfeather reached the top first, and mumbled

" _Hi._ " Before passing by and laying down next to Willowshine. As he glanced back down the path, he saw Littlecloud was leaning heavily on Leafpool as the two padded up, and he felt worried as he watched the old cat. Would Littlecloud ever get a new apprentice? What if one of them had to leave and work with Shadowclan? He glanced back at Jayfeather and Willowshine, and knew neither of them would do that willingly.

As Littlecloud stumbled up, Kestrelflight stepped out of the way, as the little tabby nodded thankfully, as he collapsed undignified near the pool, surprisingly not waking Hailpaw. Leafpool and Kestrelflight glanced at one another, sharing a worried expression, as they joined the others and settled down and touched noses with the water, and Kestrelflight closed his eyes.

He reopened them is surprise. At first he thought he simply hadn't fallen asleep to meet Starclan, as he around the Moonpool still, while everyone's breathing was slow and relaxed. Confused, he touched his nose to the water, and closed his eyes again.

When he reopened, he was still sat at the Moonpool. Frustrated now, he lapped down the water, and squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to be in Starclan-

Nope. Again, he was still at the Moonpool. Frustrated, he stood up and glared at the stars. Were Starclan angry with him for letting the two-faced kit live? He couldn't imagine that Starclan would be that cruel, and frustrated he glared at the Moonpool, only to jump in surprise. Next to his reflection, two cats were stood watching him, he turned to face them. His heart ached as they looked at him, such warmth and love in their eyes.

"Ma? Pa?" he breathed. The two cats dipped their head, and smaller, white flecked she-cat spoke.

"We're so proud of you Kestrelflight." She purred.

"Yes, looking after your brother Harespring, and still putting your Clan first. We are so proud of both of you." His father added, the smoky gray tom's green eyes glowed with pride. Kestrelflight hesitated.

"You're not just here for a family reunion. Are you?" he asked reluctantly, and the two cats shook their heads reluctantly.

"Follow us." They mewed, and they turned and headed down the path back to Windclan. Kestrelflight padded forward, before glancing back nervously, only to see his body hadn't moved, and he was a faint outline.

" _So it is a dream._ " He thought to himself, and quickly followed his parents, as they sped up down the path. They weren't slowing their pace, and he practically ran after them, as they raced across the Windclan territory.

Finally, they skidded to a halt near a freshly dug badger set. Kestrelflight's fur stood on end with fear as the harsh scent hit his nostrils, he had never gotten over the fear of badgers. But as he got closer to the set, he could tell the smell of this badger wasn't quite right. Pregnant perhaps? As he peered down the entrance, he noticed a lot of thick, smelly saliva along the ground. He pulled away quickly when he heard the confused growl of the badger. He looked at his parents, and saw their worry in their eyes.

"A sick badger? This is what you needed to show me?" he asked uncertainly.

"The sickness spreads, until it consumes the animals mind. No matter the species." They both said in union, before they started to fade away.

"Wait?! What am I supposed to do?!" he asked, as they disappeared into the night sky.

He felt an intense pain in his neck, as if a creature had bitten down on it, he squeezed his eyes shut, and felt himself jolt in panic.

As he reopened his eyes, he was back at the Moonpool. The other medicine cats were getting to their paws. He watched their expressions, most seemed calm as they got to their paws. However, Hailpaw looked troubled, and he noticed Littlecloud was watching him strangely. But before he could ask a question, the little tabby started to make his way down the other trail. Sighing, he called Hailpaw and the two cats started their descent back to Windclan


	28. Chapter 27 - Blackstar

_**3 moon after the Dark Forest Battle**_

Blackstar rolled over in his nest, kicking away some of his bedding with a large black paw. Yawning he raised a paw above his head, claws outstretched, as if admiring them before dropping it back down onto his stomach. It had been almost three moons since the battle with the Dark Forest, the large leader was since on his last life. It was as if time ticked past hurriedly, counting down the days he has left.  
Slowly the older tom got to his paws, and ambled his way out into the clans clearing.  
His amber eyes adjusted to the harsh sun, before they settled on Night, a feisty dark loner who had been caught hunting in Shadowclan territory a quarter moon after the fight, found by Rowanclaw, Tigerheart and Applefur when patrolling the borders. Instead of leaving the she-cat had requested to join the clan.  
Her fiery tongue, sharp intelligent eyes, reminded him of his long-gone best friend and secret mate, Russetfur. The ginger she-cat always had a snarky comment to make, no matter the occasion. And would happily back up her words with her sharp, curled claws.  
The two had kept their mate status hidden from most of the clan, only Littlecloud, the medicine cat knew of the secret. The two had planned to raise kits together, but Russetfur had turned out to be barren, so they put their dream on hold. Blackstar lashed his tail in anger, when he recalled how she died.  
Lionblaze, a giant tom from Thunderclan snapped her neck in a border skirmish.  
 _"Her death was not worth the territory_ " he thought to himself, before giving himself a shake. Focusing back on Night he mused to himself. "How eager she's been to prove herself, almost always bringing fresh-kill back to the clan when she goes out hunting" he twitched his whiskers. "Not much of a fighter though." and made his way towards Night, who was sharing tongues with Tawnypelt and gossiping quietly.  
Before he could get there, Rowanclaw intercepted him, waving her tail in greeting.  
"Blackstar, sir." she began formally, dipping his head respectfully. "I've sent the dawn patrol out, and I've set the hunting patrols for tonight, but since prey is scarce I was thinking we could send another patrol out mid-day?" the ginger she-cat asked, her blue eyes watching him curiously.  
The large white tom dipped his head in agreement

"Excellent, send Dawnpelt, Mistcloud and Marshstep." He waved his tail to dismiss the tom and made his way across the clearing. Night had closed her eyes, relaxing as Tawnypelt groomed her ear.  
"Night." his deep voice rumbled clearly. Making the she cat jump in surprise, hurriedly scrambling to her paws to sit up. Stifling a _mreow_ of amusement he waited.  
"Yes, Blackstar?" the she cat inquired curiously, her eyes cloudy with sleep.  
"So sorry for interrupting" he meowed dryly, "but I'd like a word with you in my den. Not you Tawnypelt" he added briskly as both she-cats got up. "Just Night"  
Tawnypelt gave him a knowing look, twitching her whiskers as she went. The two cats padded back to his den, once there Night sat herself down comfortably and looked up at him expectantly.  
"Whats up, Fluff?" she asked, using her pet name for him. He scowled, his pelt flushing hot.  
"I've told you not to call me that!" he chastised crossly.  
"Sorry, sorry" she dipped her head, her eyes glowing with amusement. "But really what do you need from me, Flu- er Blackstar."  
Ignoring her joke, he started to talk again.  
"There are two things that need sorting, actually." He flicked one of his gray ears.

"First, I've been thinking it's about time you got given a Warrior name." as he finished his sentence, the she-cats eyes grew as large as moons in excitement.  
"Second being…" he faltered briefly, feeling his pelt begin to prickle  
"I've been thinking, we're both getting on in our old age." he began cautiously  
"Charmed" she mewed dryly, not taking her eyes off him.  
"And since I'm on my last lives, I'm afraid I've not much time left. But my bloodline can live on – through you."  
"I'm sorry?" Night asked, looking very confused. "Y-you want.."  
"To be mates." He finished abruptly. "Your a valued member of Shadowclan now, if you accept being my mate, you will have even more respect from clan mates – even those that doubted you. Shadowclan will never have more treasured and respected kits. So what do you say?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to one side, studying the she-cat.  
It felt like moons had passed when she finally dipped her head in agreement, meowing a quiet "Yes" blinking shyly she added "I can't think of a bigger honor."  
"Well then, lets get your name sorted." he remarked proudly, before giving his new mates ear a quick lick. "Then sort out the rest later." he finished with a purr, escorting his new mate outside. He stood proudly at the entrance to his den, before letting out a yowl.  
"All cats who are old enough to catch their own prey meet me under the Highbranch for a clan meeting." he watched as warriors scrambled out of their dens curiously. The hunting patrol, that had only just left the gorse tunnel, quickly shoved their way back into camp. Ivytail, Shadowclan's only nursing queen popped her head out the nursery, while her only kit, Spiderkit dashed out, squealing loudly. Blackstar tried to ignore the extra nose the small kit had as he gazed briefly at him.

" _Almost ready to be an apprentice_ " he realized before dragging his attention back to his clan, who had all finished gathering around the clearing.

"It's been three moons since the Dark Forest battle" he announced loudly, his deep voice ringing out clearly. "Which means it's been three moons since Night joined our clan." Tawnpelt and her family cheered "Night, Night!" Blackstar let it simmer down in it's own time "She has lived with us for this time, learning from myself and Rowanclaw how to be the best warrior she can be. It is today she is earning her warrior name." focusing his gaze onto Night, the dark she cats fur was fluffed up, and her bright green eyes shone with excitement and nerves.  
"Night, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?"  
"I do"  
"Then from this day on, your warrior name is Nightshade. Starclan honours your quick wit and strength." stepping forward the massive white tom lowered his head on top of the newly named Nightshade, who in turn rasped her tongue over the toms shoulder.  
"Nightshade, Nightshade" the clan called out eagerly, as Blackstar backed up to admire his clan welcoming their new warrior.  
 _"My clan will live on, and so will I."_

Blackstar sat and watched patiently all evening for her to notice him. As he watched all members of Shadowclan, young and old congratulate Nightshade. Occasionally he made small talk with other members of the clan. But he was waiting for her to get up and go with him. He lashed his tail agitatedly. He'd groomed his pelt, and had the apprentices clean his nest out for later. He'd even planned on hunting her favourite, voles. But they'd all be asleep with the way she was chattering away.

Finally Nightshade made eye-contact with him. He twitched his ear at her, and dragged his gaze towards the camp exit. Before slowly getting up and making his way out of the camp. He sat under a tree just away from the camp entrance.

Since Shadowclan cats hunted at night, it was normal for cats to take moonlit walks. Infact he heard some cats coming now returning. He leaned back and listened to the conversation. It was Dawnpelt and Crowfrost. The prickly she cat she voicing her concerns to her mate.

"I just miss Flametail so much Crowfrost." Dawnpelt was saying loudly.

"I know." he murmured quietly. "You two were very close."

"And I'm glad I'm having kits with you. I'm just... Scared. What if they aren't perfect?" she hissed, the two cats not noticing their leader as they walked along, deep in conversation.

"Who cares if they aren't perfect Dawnpelt? I'd love them regardless."

"I just... Don't know if I could." she admitted, sounding guilty.

"Congratulations on your pregnancy, they'll make fine warriors for Shadowclan." Blackstar rumbled, scaring both cats as they scrambled around to face him.

"Oh! Thank you Blackstar!" Dawnpelt gushed, dipping her head nervously to him. The couple gave each other embarrassed glances as they quickly made their way back to camp, dodging past Nightshade. The brown tabby let out an amused purr as they scurried past. She gave him a flirtacious look, her green eyes glowing in the pale moon light.

"Scaring your warriors as usual Fluff? I like it~" she purred, slowly approaching him. Blackstar felt his pelt grow hot despite the cool air.

"I'm sure you do Nightshade." He remarked, rubbing his face against her soft fur. A deep rumbling purr forming as he drank in her scent. She smelled of soft earth and holly leaves. "Let's take a walk around _our_ territory."

She leaned against him as they walked further into the dark pine forest, their tails entwined.

" _I haven't felt this way in a long time."_ he realised, as the smell of his soon to be mate surrounded his senses.

"So my names now Nightshade, right?" her question cut into his thoughts, as he looked at her curiously. She rolled on to her back, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Did you do that on purpose, naming me after a deadly plant, Fluff?" she purred, ticking his chin with her long tail.

"Maybe I did." he growled playfully. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Not at all, my dear leader. Just... Do you want to find out how accurate that name is for me?" he smirked down at her, and pounced at his prey.


	29. Chapter 28 - Honeypelt

**3 moons and 15 sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Honeypelt sat outside of Mistystar's den, her gingery-golden pelt shining brightly in the light. She nodded at Spottedcloud, Littlefeather and Silversnow, as the three sat down with her.

"Mistystar wanted to see you lot as well?" she asked, trying not to look at Silversnow's eye socket as she spoke to her. She noticed that the fur was starting to grow over her scar, and her eye socket wasn't completely open.

"Yes." Was all the large silver cat mewed, before peering towards the entrance of her den. "Is she awake?"

"No." came a dry, sarcastic meow from inside the den making them all jump. "Come on in."

The four cats sat down in the den, squashing against one another so they all fit. Mistystar was sat watching them, the blue-gray she-cat had a serious look on her face.

"Now then, since Spottedcloud has joined Riverclan, we have had numerous attacks from the Twoleg Place, even resulting in the death of Pounctail." Her icy blue gaze settled on Spottedcloud. "It seems your friends haven't accepted your departure from kittypet life."

"They weren't friends." Spottedcloud retorted, looking angry. "They were thugs. Willing to attack she-cats and force them to carry kits."

"Either way. We need to learn more about them and if they have weaknesses. That is why the four of you will be venturing into the Twoleg Place, and avenging Pouncetail. Spottedcloud, you will lead the patrol."

"But, I-"

"Come on." Honeypelt quickly mewed, pushing her way out of the den, knocking Silversnow over as she did so. "Let's get started. What do we know about Pouncetail's death?"

"It was done by a rogue, and the clumps of fur found in Pouncetail's claws were black and white." Littlefeather remarked, sliding out of the den quickly. "I checked with Reedwhisker as soon as Mistystar wanted to summon us to the den. I figured it'd involve this." As he finished speaking, Spottedcloud finally emerged, being forcefully shoved by an impatient Silversnow.

"You're patrol leader! Lead us!" she bellowed into the little cat's ear. She winced, before glancing around anxiously. Honeypelt did feel slightly sorry for her. It didn't seem fair that Spottedcloud had to face the cats she so desperate to distance herself from.

"Right… Uh. This way?" she half declared, half asked as she headed towards the border. The cats quickly fell in battle-patrol formation. Silversnow and Littlefeather at the flanks, and Honeypelt in the rear. Soon into the travelling, being silent became pretty boring, she decided to perk the patrol up.

"Hey Silversnow?" Honeypelt chirped, the giant silver she-cat turned her empty socketed face in her direction.

"Yes?"

"Is it true you like to battle?"

"Like battle? Oh no little cat – I live it." She remarked, making the whole patrol try and look at her, even Spottedcloud.

"Live it?" Spottedcloud echoed in confusion.

"Live it. Every sunrise, I get up, groom my pelt, and get up for the daily battle of warrior, and chasing off kittypets. Battles, how they are. They are just so exhilarating to me. The way we all slide about, confident in making the next battle move, the satisfying feel of flesh as I slice through thin pelts…"

"Okay, we get it Silversnow! Your scaring the she-cats." Littlefeather mewed, his voice slightly shrill. However, Silversnow let out a deep, rumbling purr in reply.

"So sorry Littlefeather." Was all she said, and the patrol fell into silence once more, until Honeypelt came up with a new question.

"Silversnow, if you could fight any cat, who would it be?"

"Lionblaze." She replied instantly, catching her off-guard.

"Wha- Why Lionblaze?"

"He is the cat who cannot be beaten in battle. To beat him? My life would be complete; I'd retire to the elders den as soon as I'd won." She remarked, still sounding serious.

"I think he lost his powers though, right? Honeypelt just mumbled nervously in response.

"We're here." Spottedcloud mewed, as she stood at the border of the territory. The Greenleaf Twolegplace was currently unattended, and the four cats began to travel up the dusty trail towards the Twolegplace. Honeypelt noticed Spottedcloud was shaking badly, and she sped up slightly, sticking close to her rear.

"Okay, now I think we go this way… No. That way…"

"You've said that Starclan knows how many times!" Honeypelt impatiently snapped. The patrol were lost, in a large Twoleg garden. It had many plants towering above them. Suddenly a skinny black striped tom appeared at the Twoleg nest, and seemed to climb out of a clear panel.

"You best go!" he called, looking around anxiously. "They will find you! And they wil-" the tom broke off, staring open jawed at the small gray she-cat. "Speckle?! Is that really you?"

"Uh…No?" she mewed, leaning back as the tom bounded over to see her.

"It _is_ you! Flopsy and I have been so worried about you!"

"Ah, tell her I said hi-"

"Flopsy! Flopsy! Come out here!" he yowled happily. Honeypelt winced, this cat could get them all caught! She saw a pale brown cat appear at the same clear panel, before somehow escaping it too.

"Speckle! We have missed you so, so much!" she purred, dashing across the grass to see her. "We knew you escaped those crowfood eaters!" All three clan cats looked at her curiously, obviously wondering how much Spottedcloud knew about this place.

"Yeah, have you guys seen Vernon?" she suddenly asked, and Honeypelt blinked at her.

" _Vernon? She's never mentioned a Vernon before."_ She thought as the two kittypets glanced at each other wearily.

"You know we don't get involved in their business." Flopsy began, only for Spottedcloud to interrupt.

"They have been trying to take innocent she-cats as mates. Answer the question." She snapped, narrowing her blue eyes at the soft kittypets. Stunned, both cats took a weary step back.

"You aren't the Speckle we knew three moons ago." The tom muttered, looking sadly at her.

"Joining those Clans have made you much stronger than either of us." Flopsy added, looking nervously at the patrol, and wincing as she saw Silversnow's face. "D-did Vernon do that?!"

"No. It was a battle wound from another Clan cat." Silversnow replied coolly, making Flopsy look away awkwardly.

"What my mate is trying to say, is follow the white fence posts, they'll lead you to Vernon." With that he twitched his ear at his mate. "Come Flopsy, before our Twoleg's notice we've gone." With that the two bounded across the grass, and up to the Twolegplace, and leapt through the gap in the clear panel. Out of sight.

The patrol all stared at Spottedcloud, who blinked back.

"What?" she asked.

"What do you mean 'what?' You scared those kittypets into giving you information!" Littlefeather burst out, looking stunned.

"Don't Clan cats do that?"

"Did she seriously just ask that?" Silversnow asked, letting out an amused purr. "Speckle you've been here three moons. You know how we Riverclan cats are."

"Sorry…"

"And! Who is Vernon?!" Littlefeather continued, like he hadn't been interrupted. Honeypelt nodded in agreement.

"He is just… A bad cat, some would call him the leader cat of the Twoleg Place. He preferred the name 'Vernon's Horde.' He said it had a ring to it." She began, before padding over to the white fence posts, and clambering up one. "Follow, I'll explain on the way."

Silversnow heaved her large, muscular body up the fence post, followed by Littlefeather, and then finally Honeypelt. They leapt across expertly as they followed Spottedcloud deeper into their territory.

"He showed up one night, with a group of rogues. He started talking about a gorge, and these cats who worshipped their ancestors." She paused, and quickly made a detour along a thinner brown fence, as one of the white posts had fallen over.

"He gained his knowledge from a large dark tortoiseshell tom, and the two had decided to work together, as joint leaders. While the other rogues and kittypets were their warriors."

"That sounds like Sol!" Silversnow gasped, as she leapt over the broken post, landing just behind Spottedcloud.

"I don't know his name; I hadn't joined the Horde when he was alive."

"So he's dead?" Littlefeather asked, as the cats paused at the end of the white fence posts.

"Yes, Vernon had the whole Horde look after him, grooming him daily, catching him the best prey. I've never seen him treat a cat so warmly… But I guess that's why Vernon is so scary."

"Because he can be nice?" Honeypelt asked doubtfully, the gray she-cat shook her head.

"No. It's because he _is_ a normal cat." She replied, before leaping down into the grassy garden, and inhaling deeply as the rest of the patrol leapt down.

"He's close, I can smell it." She whispered, creeping cautiously down the side of the Twoleg nest. The patrol following. Honeypelt strained her ears, listening for the sound of paw steps, the meow of a cat… Anything really. As the patrol reached the back of the Twoleg nest, they halted. There was a large, broken gap in the fence, blocking that however were two cats in front of them. A slender, sandy gray tom, and a black she-cat with white stripes were stood watching them. Honeypelt saw Spottedcloud's fur fluff out.

"Vernon." She hissed angrily. He just slightly dipped his head, not taking his large yellow eyes off of the patrol.

"Speckle! So glad to see you've returned. Yail told me you ran away for good. He was very disappointed you rejected him." The toms voice was quiet, and calm. Honeypelt saw Silversnow square up to the cats.

"Back off." She hissed, however neither cat flinched.

"Such a bad temper. Well, if you aren't here to come back, you should leave. Now preferably." The black and white she-cat quickly got up, and fled through the large gap in the fence. Honeypelt moved forward, standing beside her patrol.

"You are outnumbered now. We want you to leave Clan cats alone." All cats unsheathed their claws, except Spottedcloud, who had no claws, but she dropped into an attack stance.

"Fine. I'll leave your little friends alone Speckle." Vernon mewed, speaking slowly. The patrol glanced at each other uncertainly, all not convinced. Honeypelt heard the sound of a dog barking in the distance, but ignored it. Figuring it was some dumb Twoleg pet.

"Only if…" he began, as all the cats stared at him. "You join the Horde again."

"Get lost in a dog house, you mangy flea-pelt!" Spottedcloud spat angrily, and the sandy tom started to chuckle.

"I thought you might say that. Well then, I'll have to think about it." With that, he lazily got to his paws, and the patrol tensed up, uncertain to what he would do, Honeypelt heard the barking getting louder, and dragged her gaze towards the hole in the fence. She felt herself freeze, as a huge, golden, brown and black dog racing towards them, with the black and white she-cat just behind him.

"Buster!" Vernon called, before his expression turned menacing. He glared at the patrol, before barking like a dog, and racing past the large, slobbering beast, as the dog ignored him and raced towards the patrol.

"Riverclan! Retreat!" Spottedcloud yowled in fear, and the patrol quickly span around and raced back where they came from. Honeypelt saw a large tree, in the front of a Twoleg nest. It was large and sturdy, a perfect place to hide.

"This way!" she screeched, as she swerved, and leapt forward, digging her claws into the bark, and heaving herself up the tree, she glanced behind her, to see Littlefeather and Silversnow behind her, closing in to the tree. She forced herself up to the nearest branch. Watching her clan mates scrabble up. Littlefeather got onto her branch, and Silversnow dragged herself up higher, as Spottedcloud skidded to the bottom of the tree, looking horrified.

"I can't climb!" she shrieked, as she leapt forward, trying to dig her paws into the bark, but having no claws she couldn't climb. Honeypelt quickly lurched forward, and bit into her scruff to heave her up the tree, ignoring the loud barking as the dog ran towards them. She felt Littlefeather dig his forepaws into her back, and help drag her and Spottedcloud up. Silversnow let out a furious shriek, and Honeypelt stared in shock as the silver she-cat launched herself out of the tree, and directly into the dog, making it yelp as its muzzle met with furious cat claws.

Honeypelt let out an angry hiss, and with her muscles straining, she yanked the little she-cat up on to her branch.

"Silversnow!" Honeypelt yelled, as the she-cat lashed out again at the dog. "What are you doing?! Get back here!"

"That's an order!" Spottedcloud shrieked, only for Silversnow to turn her head and look at them, as the dog backed up uncertainly.

"Just get out of here!" she hissed, before turning her attention back to the dog, snarling and hissing as she continually lashed out at the dog. Honeypelt nudged the other two cats with her nose.

"Along the white posts! Now!" she hissed, the Riverclan cats snapped out of their shock, and turned away, racing along the posts, Honeypelt glanced back one final time, to see the dog lurch forward, its jaws outstretched, as Silversnow had stopped fighting, looking back at the patrol. Making sure her clan mates escaped…

Honeypelt forced herself to look away, as she ran after Littlefeather and Spottedcloud, ignoring the heartbreak she felt, as she tried to push the image of Silversnow out of her mind.


	30. Chapter 29 - Kestrelflight, Dustpelt

**3 Moons and 25 Sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

It was dark. Kestrelflight raced along the dark moorland, as dawn was rising in the sky. He was chasing a moth that was somehow always just out of his reach. Until he skidded to a halt, as he could smell the disgusting reek of sick badger. He turned and looked at the set, feeling his paws prickle.

" _Why do I keep dreaming about these foul beasts?!"_ he hissed out loud, as he stormed away from the badger set, now ignoring the moth. Even as it fluttered in his face, as if telling him to go back. " _Go away!"_

Kestrelflight felt himself stir from his dream, vaguely aware of the sound of paw steps. He guessed it was Hailpaw, out to get some air, and started to settle back down to sleep. Only to lift his head, as he could hear his apprentice quietly muttering to himself.

"Hailpaw?" he asked, slowly sitting up. The little tabby apprentice didn't respond, still muttering to himself. "Hailpaw!" that made the apprentice snap out of his trance, and gaze at him, his blue eyes large and round with sorrow. "What's wrong?"

"I-I had that dream again!" he wailed, and Kestrelflight felt his stomach knot with dread as Hailpaw continued. "The one with the badger, and its sick smell! I don't want to go back to sleep! It'll eat me again!"

"It won't do that, I promise." He mumbled, gently nudging his apprentice with his nose. "Lie down in your nest, I will speak to Onestar." As the little gray tabby slinked away, Kestrelflight emerged out of his den. Luckily, he hadn't been woken at too bad a time, as the dawn patrols were just leaving, and the cats in the camp were sharing tongues. However he couldn't see Onestar's mottled brown pelt anywhere, he circled around again catching the attention of Palescar.

"Looking for someone?" the furless tom asked kindly, and Kestrelflight nodded. Secretly happy that Palescar was now talking to his clan mates normally again. It seemed he was slowly moving past the death of Daisyfield.

"Onestar, have you seen him?"

"Sure have! He was headed to the Nursery." He mewed, before passing past the white flecked medicine cat. "Excuse me, I have an apprentice to train."

Kestrelflight quickly turned towards and pushed his head through the Nursery entrance. Heathertail was asleep, with Stormkit and Willowkit gently suckling at her belly. Onestar was watching him, in between grooming Limpkit. Kestrelflight resisted the urge to unsheathe his claws, furious still that Onestar had abandoned Smokekit. Little did his leader know, was that now that kit was growing into a fine cat elsewhere.

"Yes?" Onestar asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Can I speak with you, for a moment?" Onestar's eyes lit up, and with a pang Kestrelflight realized that Onestar thought he wanted to apologize.. For ranting at him, he supposed. He pulled his head through the barrier, and padded towards the dusty shallow dip, where the kits liked to play. Onestar followed, and sat down, looking down at him expectantly.

"Hailpaw and I have received a message from Starclan." Onestar blinked, but he continued to listen. "We have seen a badger, a sick one, make its set inside Windclan territory. We need to kill it."

"Kill it?" his leader echoed in confusion. "Can't we just chase it out?"

"No! The sickness spreads to all animals! Not just badgers!" Kestrelflight snapped, fear gripping him as tightly as a hawks talon, as he saw Onestar eye him doubtfully.

"So we just send our cats to do this? How does this illness spread? You want us to catch this illness ourselves?"

"I don't know how the illness spreads. I will speak with Shadowclan, and see if they have had to deal with this in the past. Then will you send a patrol to dispose of them?"

"Fine."

Kestrelflight strode into Shadowclan's camp, ignoring the hisses of alarm from nearby cats, especially as Rowanclaw ran up, snarling. Only to stop and stare as he recognized the medicine cat.

"Kestrelflight? What can we do for you?" she quickly mewed, as Kestrelflight's gaze flicked around the camp.

"I need to speak to Littlecloud." At the mention of his name, the little brown tabby pushed his head through the bramble walls, looking happy to see him. "Can we speak in private?" he nodded, and quickly ushered the Windclan medicine cat into his den. Kestrelflight peered around in the gloom, it was pretty dark, and the ground was covered in pine needles and earth. The herbs were organized in neat piles, wrapped in ivy leaves. He sat down on the earth, as Littlecloud got comfortable in his well-used nest. He looked at him curiously.

"I doubt you were just here to share tongues?

"No actually, Starclan have shown myself and Hailpaw, a badger has gotten sick in our territory." Littlecloud stared at him intently and Kestrelflight could see his fur rippling slowly with fear. "It smells awful, worse than crowfood in direct sunlight. There's always white frothy spit in the dream, and-"

"Snow Breath!" Littlecloud hissed out in shock. Kestrelflight looked up in surprise.

"You know of this?"

"Yes!" The older medicine cat stood up, his fur on end in fear. "Back in the old territories, we encountered a fox with that problem! It ended up killing Rowanberry, and biting Nutwhisker…" Littlecloud slowly shook his head, side to side, reliving the memories. "When he came to, it was like he had no memory, no heart no feelings. All the love she had for life, just gone. She lunged out at us all, drool splattering everywhere, only to be killed by Russetfur." He stared at the ground.

"The illness only spreads by being bitten, or directly ingesting the saliva." Kestrelflight sat up, feeling his paws itch.

"So we would need a patrol to get rid of this thing?"

"Not just any patrol, I will ask Blackstar and Rowanclaw to send warriors to ail you. If this badger escapes, it becomes every Clan's problem, not just Windclans."

Kestrelflight entered Thunderclan, calling for the Clan's attention, as cats streamed out to meet him. Bramblestar leapt down from the Highledge, and approached the medicine cat, but before Bramblestar spoke, Kestrelflight quickly spoke over him.

"I need your help!" he mewed, Bramblestar just stared at him curiously.

"Go on?"

"In Windclan, we have a sick badger, suffering from 'Snow Breath'. If the badger isn't killed, it will spread its illness to all the clans, and we will all suffer." The cats all stared around, looking perplexed at this little known illness. Squirrelflight spoke up from behind Bramblestar.

"What do you expect us to do?"

"I-I was hoping you would agree to send a small patrol to help us finish this." The two cats glanced at each other, looking shocked. Bramblestar cleared his throat quickly, before speaking.

"We will think about this, and we will send a messenger to Windclan at sunrise."

Kestrelflight lashed his tail furiously. What if the badger leaves by then?! But he forced himself to keep as calm as he could.

"Alright. Thank you Bramblestar." Quickly nodding to the crowd of cats, he spun around and retreated to Windclan, ignoring the brambles and burrs that stuck to his pelt as he raced along.

Dustpelt glared at Bramblestar, angrily lashing his tail.

"You can't be considering this?!" He snapped, circling his leader and deputy angrily. "Why should we get involved in Windclan's problems?! When did Onestar show concern about us?!"

"How about when the badgers attacked Thunderclan? How about when they fought against the Dark Forest, and Crowfeather saved Lionblaze?!" Squirrelflight hissed back, looking furious. Bramblestar didn't say anything, clearly trying to make his choice.

"Don't you speak down to me! I've been in this Clan longer than anyone!" he snarled, squaring up to his former apprentice. Icecloud ran across the clearing, and shoved herself in between the cats.

"Stop it Dustpelt! Ferncloud wouldn't want this!" she begged. Dustpelt glared at her, letting out a snarl.

"You don't know what she would have wanted!"

"Enough!" Sandstorm screeched, the old ginger she-cat shoved her way out of the Nursery. "Dustpelt you need to stop this!"

Dustpelt finally stopped snarling, and sat down, glaring all around him defiantly. Bramblestar finally spoke, and stared at him with his narrowed amber eyes.

"Dustpelt, I think it's time you joined the elders den." Dustpelt stared at him, horrified.

"What?"

"Well, you've shown you're unstable, you have been catching less prey, and you can't let go of the past."

"Th-that's not- What about Sandstorm!? We're two moons apart!" he mewed quickly, as the cats all shook their heads at him.

"I'm nursing a kit." Sandstorm retorted angrily. "You're just sitting around screeching at your kin!"

"I- ah… I can't join the elders! I have to keep myself busy! Or I'll sit and think of her…" he noticed Bramblestar glance at Squirrelflight, both of them looking uncertain with what to do with him.

"I will join the elders! But please, just let me work. Please." He begged quietly.

"Fine." Bramblestar began, and Dustpelt sat up straighter. "You can go on this mission, but afterwards you will be sleeping with Graystripe and Cloudtail in the elders den. Understand?" Dustpelt felt his ears droop slightly, but knew he had no choice but to agree.

"I understand."

Dustpelt quickly limped behind Lionblaze, Ivypool, Berrynose and Bumblestripe. Bramblestar had chosen the strongest and most intimidating cats they had, to send a message that Thunderclan could care for itself.

And then there was him, the soon to be elder. He stared at his patrol, feeling his heart ache as he thought about the past.

" _When did I get so old?"_ he wondered, as the patrol stopped at the stream, before leaping across one at a time. When Dustpelt leapt, he had miscalculated the jump, and his back legs landed on the muddy bank. Quickly, Ivypool and Berrynose lunged forward, and dragged him onto Windclan territory by his scruff. Humiliated, Dustpelt let out a snarl and backed away from them.

"I don't want your help!" he hissed, the patrol just rolled their eyes and kept walking. Dustpelt just stared at the ground as they walked, thinking about his life. All things considered, he had led a good life. He met the love of his life, Ferncloud. And was lucky to spend his whole life by her side, having many wonderful kits. Some he got to see grow and have wonderful families, others had died young. But Dustpelt felt proud, as he knew his bloodline would live on. He began to wonder about how his kits would have turned out, if Shrewpaw, Hollykit and Larchkit hadn't died, only to stumble into Bumblestripe.

He glared at them, only to see the patrol had stopped, downwind from a badger set.

Dustpelt recoiled as the scent reached his nostrils, and shook his head as he saw the Shadowclan patrol arrive. Tigerheart was at the lead, followed by Mousedapple, Cloudpaw and Loudstorm. He eyed them as they approached, and reacted similar to how he had done.

"Welcome." Dustpelt spun around, to see Kestrelflight and Crowfeather stood together, with a patrol of various cats behind them. Including Sunstrike, Harespring, and Lizardpaw.

"You all know why you're here, to kill the badger and save our clans." Kestrelflight began, only for Berrynose to speak up.

"Is Riverclan not helping?" he mewed, only for the rest of his patrol to hiss " _Shh_ " to him.

"They have said they will send Willowshine to help with injuries, and Mintfur to fight." Kestrelflight replied, not seeming to mind the interruption. "However we cannot wait any longer to attack. The badger could emerge at any minute."

"So how do you suggest we get it out to the open?" Cloudpaw called curiously.

"Live bait." Crowfeather answered calmly, he approached the entrance to the badger set, and started to jump about, yowling and screeching, until scrabbling inside the set could be heard. Quickly the smoky gray tom raced away, as the large, broad black and white head of a badger came out, growling. Large clumps of white spit dripping onto the ground.

"Attack!" Lionblaze yowled, racing forward first, landing expertly practiced blows before bouncing backwards, out of reach of its outstretched claws. Ivypool and Bumblestripe quickly raced behind the large badger, as it moved into the open. Before both of them leaping forward, and scoring deep claw wounds across it's back, tearing away some hair, and making it bleed.

The badger spun around, furious to see more cats, and Dustpelt watched as the Shadowclan patrol raced into help. Mousedapple leapt up high, and landed on the badger's head, forcing its muzzle into the ground, before racing away. Tigerheart slid skillfully under the badger, as it tried to bite his clanmate, and knocked its front paws out from beneath it, making it fall again. The brown tabby rolled out of danger at the last moment, before attaching itself to it's flank, raking his large claws down its side.

Bumblestripe took advantage at the badgers slip up, and raced forward, claws outstretched as he lashed down across its eyes. The badger let out a loud, pain filled scream as it reared up, shaking the blood off its muzzle, before trying to bring its weight down on Bumblestripe, as the gray tabby bunny hopped out of reach from it.

Dustpelt finally decided it was time to help, and raced forward with the Windclan patrol, ready to bite onto its flank, and tear its neck open, only to skid to a halt, as the badger started to angrily, and quickly lurch toward Cloudpaw. The young apprentice hiding under the gorse bush.

"Move!" he thought desperately, seeing that the apprentice was frozen to the spot with fear.

Without thinking, Dustpoelt raced past the badger, and shoved the white apprentice further into the prickly bush, just out of reach from the badger, when he felt sharp teeth bite down on his hind leg. Dustpelt let out a furious screech, and twisted around as far as he could, scoring large claw wounds over, and over the badger's face. He felt himself start to lose conscious, and tried desperately to keep fighting, slowly closing his amber eyes, just in time to see Lionblaze leap forward, and tear a horrifically long wound into the badger's side, through the torn away fur. Reaching from the start of its neck, to under its soft belly. The badger fell down with a heavy thud, and stopped moving as the world around Dustpelt faded into darkness.

It was hot. That's all Dustpelt could tell. It was so hot his paws were sweating, and he was thirsty. He could hear talking, all around him. For a moment, he thought he could see stars twinkling.

"Ferncloud?" he gasped, licking his dry lips, and trying to stand up, only to fall against the ground. He blinked, feeling the ground was wet underneath him, as his eyes focused, he could see white spit around him he tried to struggle to his paws, only to fail again.

"Dustpelt?" a quiet voice asked, and the tom tried to reach out to the voice, letting out a dull groan.

"Dustpelt? Dustpelt?!"

Dustpelt managed to open his eyes slightly, and inhaled deeply. He could vaguely make out a blurry gray tabby. Excited, he forced his eyes open, only to see Jayfeather stood above him, his paw raised, as if he had been tapping his face. He got to his paws slowly, feeling his train of thought start to cloud, and he lurched towards some Clan cats.

"Dustpelt! You okay?" Toadstep asked, looking visibly concerned. Foxleap stepped forward, his green eyes full of worry.

"Father, please sit down." He begged quietly. Dustpelt groggily shook his head, and unevenly stepped forward again, and let out a low moan.

"My head hurts…"

"What are you doing?!" Littlecloud's shrill voice echoed around the camp, as he and Kestrelflight entered the camp, Bramblestar stared in shock at the two.

"What do you mean?" the leader forced himself to remain calm, and the smaller medicine cat stormed up to him.

"Kestrelflight told me he was bitten by the badger!" he yelped, shaking his head angrily. "Are you mouse brained?!"

"Dustpelt has been checked by Jayfeather and Leafpool-"

"You're missing the point!" Kestrelflight argued. "Littlecloud has seen that Snowbreath travels to animals who are bitten! In a few sunrises, he'll be killing kits and mothers because you were too stupid to take action! Look at him!" Dustpelt dully turned to look at the medicine cats, and lurched forward.

"I'm… Fiine.." he muttered, unable to hold his head up properly. Now more cats were staring at him anxiously. Icecloud leaned back slightly, and he noticed Sandstorm push Goldenkit back in to the Nursery with a hind paw.

"Well then, what do you expect us to do? Drive him out of Thunderclan!?" Bramblestar snapped, looking furious. Littlecloud hesitated.

"I'm saying… It's time for him to join Starclan." Once the last words were out of his mouth, the Clan turned on him, furious.

"How dare you suggest we kill a clan mate!" Hazeltail roared angrily. "He was my mentor!"

"He's _my_ father!" Birchfall added, shaking his head furiously, but Dustpelt couldn't muster any concern, and he lurched towards the little medicine cat. Who backed up quickly when he tried to come near him.

"Medicine cats are supposed to heal cats, not kill them!" Sandstorm hissed angrily, before glancing at her old friend, and she looked taken aback as she looked at him. Dustpelt slowly blinked. Did he do something wrong?

"L-littlecloud? How quickly does Snowbreath affect cats?" the pale ginger she-cat suddenly asked, not taking her eyes off of him. Dustpelt blinked, and looked down as a long strand of thick white drool gently dripped onto his paw. The little medicine cat shrieked in terror.

"Get him away from the Nursery!" he yelled, and with brief hesitation, Sandstorm rushed forward, head-butting the dark tabby in the flank, driving him away from her. He stared around, feeling himself get hotter and hotter, and more irritable.

"Uungh." Was all he said, as more drool began to spill along the ground. Bramblestar was staring at him, looking terrified.

"Dustpelt, please stay still…" he whispered hoarsely, taking a step towards him. Dustpelt stopped walking, and stood swaying on his paws as his leader approached him. Not sure what to do.

"You're going to feel better soon." Bramblestar whispered, his voice raw with grief. "Please forgive me." With that the large dark tabby shot forward and Dustpelt didn't resist as Bramblestar bit down on his neck, snapping his spine, and his head hit the ground hard.

He felt himself hit the floor, and as he looked up to his leader, a light gray she-cat was stood, her soft green eyes glinting. Behind her, many cats start walking out from behind her, all eyes glowing with warmth.

"I've missed you so much my love. Welcome to Starclan."


	31. Chapter 30 - Bumblestripe

**4 Moons 3 days since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Bumblestripe continued pacing outside, wincing every time his mate, Dovewing cried out in pain from kitting. Dovewing was almost a moon late with her pregnancy, Bumblestripe was silently begging nothing was wrong with his mate, his fur was standing on end, making him look more like a bee than ever. Briarlight slowly dragged herself over to her brother, and tapped his front paw.

"Bumblestripe calm down, kitting is a normal experience. It's only a bit of pain, then happiness." she purred, giving him a warm smile. But he wasn't reassured

"It's my fault she's in so much pain though! I hate I've done this to her." he retorted hotly, before flattening his ears. "Sorry sis', I know what you mean, I'm just worried she'll be like…" he didn't know what to say.

"Silverstream?" Briarlight whispered, looking alarmed. Bumblestripe took a step back, groaning in horror, trying not to picture Dovewing the way Graystripe had described his first mates kitting.

"No, like mad! Mad at me! She's been so moody recently. She snapped at me because I ate a rabbit myself, and then said I obviously didn't care if she was hungry because I didn't share any prey."

"That… That's just her nerves talking, I'm sure." Briarlight mewed. "She is very young to be a mother."

"I know, and I feel awful about it but… She told me she wanted kits."

"Then you don't need to worry." Briarlight purred, before starting to drag herself along. "Anyway I've got to go help Jayfeather sort herbs. I'll be right back, I promise!"

Bumblestripe went back to pacing outside the Nursery entrance, shaking his head. Trying to ignore Dovewing's cries of pain. Only to stop in surprise as Leafpool called out.

"A she-kit! Jayfeather get ready, another is coming."

Bumblestripe stood stiff, rigid. Unable to move, fear paralyzing him to the spot. Graystripe left the Elders den, and rushed over, purring.

"Did Leafpool just say you had a she-kit here? Wonderful, I'm finally a grand-elder!"

Bumblestripe nodded, before staring at the nursery. Graystripe licked his sons ear.

"I know what it's like to worry, when Millie was kitting you… I was just terrified. I felt like I'd been struck by lightning many times over. But listen, Dovewing's still kitting. She's still crying out in pain, as terrible as it is to listen to… You know she is alive and feeling everything."

Bumblestripe nodded slowly, only to wince when Dovewing cried out again.

"A tom!" Leafpool called out, over Dovewing's wails. Bumblestripe let out a happy gasp, looking at his father. Graystripe let out a large, rumbling purr.

"I've got one of each! Perfect!" Bumblestripe joked, licking his paw proudly.

"See? It's going fine." Graystripe licked his his sons forehead, and sat down next to him.

Bumblestripe strained his ears, trying to listen in at Leafpool's words. He heard a gasp, only for more mumbling to be muffled. Jayfeather grumbled something about the taste of kits…

Leafpool popped her head out of the entrance, looking slightly funny. Like she had smelt a bad scent. She looked at Bumblestripe, the look in her amber eyes unreadable.

"Well… The kits look very… Healthy. Congratulations Bumblestripe. "

Before Bumblestripe could ask any more questions, Leafpool quickly padded past them, not stopping until she was out of sight. Jayfeather slowly pushed his way out the entrance. Bumblestripe quickly padded over, standing in front of the small tabby.

"What's wrong with Leafpool?"

"Nothing, she said your kits look healthy." Jayfeather retorted, as cranky as ever.

"But are they?"

"As far as I know? Yes. Y'know since I can't _see_ them. Now move, I need to rinse my mouth. Nothing tastes worse than newborn kits."

" _Oh yeah, I forgot he can't see them…"_ Bumblestripe stepped aside, then rushed into the nursery once Jayfeather had gotten out of the way. Bumblestripe blinked his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the gloom. His eyes focused on Daisy's litter, Brighthearts litter, and then on his mate, Dovewing. Her nest was tucked far into the the back of the nest. Her tail was fluffed out, and seemingly covering a kit.

Bumblestripe carefully stepped over and around Daisy's litter, before quickly padding over to his mate, apologizing as he stood on the unlucky Dewkit's tail, as the little tom let out an annoyed cry.

He leaned forward and licked Dovewing's head, purring away as his eyes adjusted even more to the shady part of the den.

"How are you doing?" he asked curiously, leaning forward, trying to view both the kits. Dovewing didn't respond, however she started shaking.

"Are you cold? Ah.. I'll go get you some feathers and moss-" Bumblestripe stopped talking as Dovewing shook her head, before wordlessly moving her tail from the kits. Bumblestripe stared in shock as he eyed the kits. While one kit looked to be a pale gray, with slightly darker stripes and black spots. The other? A dark brown tabby kit with black stripes, that looked almost familiar… Almost like… _Tigerheart..?_

Bumblestripe backed away, tripping over Daisy's tail. He quickly apologized again to her angry hissing, before shoving his way out the Nursery. All the cats in the clearing looked at him with curious and concerned eyes.

"Are you okay?" Toadstep asked uncertainly, approaching the gray tabby with Graystripe. Both of them looking very timid.

"They aren't mine" Bumblestripes voice was barely a whisper, he staggered away. Dully became aware his paws started carrying him to the camp entrance. He bumped into the returning patrol. Thornclaw hissed in annoyance as the large tom knocked him aside. But Bumblestripe barely noticed. He just kept moving, faster and faster. The forest became a blur around him. Brambles got caught into his long pelt, the small sharp thorns digging into his skin, drawing blood. But Bumblestripe didn't stop running, no matter how bad it hurt.

His vision became blurred, he started to bump into trees and roots in forest, before he finally stopped running. He had found his way to the Sky Oak. The pile of moss at the base of the tree, he had made almost three moons ago, was still there. The moss had become very stale and was dead from being so old. But at this moment, Bumblestripe didn't really care. He half-heartedly scraped some more moss down, and climbed into the make-shift bed, ignoring the splinters that stabbed into him. He let out a sad, quiet lonely wail into the soft blowing wind.

"Why me Starclan? Why? Was it my fault?!" he wailed out to the sky. Only for no answer to come to him. Bumblestripe spent the rest of the day under the tree, sobbing and clawing at himself in frustration.

"It has to be my fault. I must of done something to her.. That pushed her away…"

Tired, hot and confused, Bumblestripe eventually slipped into a shallow sleep.

"You. Look like crowfood." Ivypool's quiet mew woke Bumblestripe up instantly. The gray tabby just stared blankly at her.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to check on you. "

"Did you know?" Bumblestripe hissed out, Ivypool hung her head. "Why would you of kept that from me?!"

"Look. I thought she would admit to you what happened in her own time. I'm sorry Bumblestripe, I just … didn't want to get involved."

Bumblestripe didn't respond, he just stared up at the sky. It had since become cloudy, with the sun setting, staining the sky shades of red, pink and gold.

"She hasn't named them yet. I don't know why. Maybe she does want you to..?"

Still no response. Ivypool let out a sigh.

"Fine, you just lie here and do nothing. I'll just tell the Clan you've gone hunting. I'd rather they think you're doing something useful."

Ivypool stormed away, her legs stiff with anger, leaving Bumblestripe alone with his whirling thoughts.

The moon was starting to rise over tree tops as Bumblestripe finally made his way back to camp. He had hunted down three mice, and was careful not to kick them with his paws as he carried them back. He pushed his way through the gorse tunnel, Spiderleg and Thornclaw were sat sharing tongues, while Bramblestar himself seemed to be asleep on the High ledge, his tail gently moving in the cool wind. Bumblestripe dropped his prey off, and went to push his way into the warrior den. Only to be stopped by Spiderleg.

"Hey. We heard what happened. Just so you know, we're both here if you ever want.. To relax or go hunting? We'll even let you lead the patrols" the older black tom blinked kindly at him.

"Eh. Thanks Spiderleg…But I just really want to sleep the rest of this day away."

"Okay.. But just remember this for me. I didn't spend time with my kits, and now they hate me. You don't want that. You _really_ don't want that."

"Yeah well.. The difference is though, they were actually your kits."

Without another word Bumblestripe barged into the den, and curled up to sleep next to Blossomfall and Rosepetal. He felt his sister gently lick the top of his head as he settled down.

"Wake up." Ivypool snapped, jabbing his head hard with unsheathed claws.

"Ugh. Leave me alone." Bumblestripe grumbled, rolling away from her and tiredly batting at her with a fore paw.

"No. Get up. Dovewing wants you to name her kits." Ivypool jabbed harder this time, and at his stomach.

"Liarkit and Cheatkit. Now go kiss a hedgehog, I'm not in the mood." Bumblestripe hissed, getting up and slumping over near the back of then den. Ivypool let out a loud growl.

"That does it! Get here." she snarled, grabbing his thick tail with her teeth. Bumblesripe let out a yowl of pain as she dragged him backwards through the den, waking up the other sleeping warriors.

"Let go of me!" he yelled, ignoring the giggles of amusement coming from the tired and groggy warriors, Blossomfall included. Though she quickly looked guilty for joining in. Once he had been dragged out the den, Ivypool dropped his tail and stood over him, his blue eyes glittering with fury.

"Name the kits… Then go eat water hemlock for all I care. Family is important fox-heart, or did you forget about that already?" she growled, before stalking away. Squirrelflight opened her mouth to tell her off, but Ivypool just stopped in front of her, her claws digging into the soil.

"Lecture me later Squirrelflight, I believe you wanted me for a patrol?" she mewed. Squirrelflight shut her mouth, looking unimpressed with the younger warriors attitude, but said nothing. Bumblestripe shook out his fur, and forced himself to flatten it. He glanced around him, wanting to see what she meant. He could see Briarlight sat with her mother Millie. The younger she cat was coaxing the older tabby to eat a mouse. She did so patiently. Eventually Millie gave in and started to eat the mouse, before offering her daughter a piece.

" _Family is important… Millie does need Briarlight, and Briarlight needs all of us to support her._ " He called out a greeting to his mother and sister, waving his tail to show he was feeling better. The two she-cats purred at him, before getting back to their meal. " _I need to support the family I have too.. It starts now. Even though it's killing me."_

He started walking stiff-legged with nerves to the nursery. Ignoring the stares of Purdy, Sandstorm and Goldenkit who were sat eating a pigeon together outside it as he entered it. The den was mostly empty, it seemed Brightheart had gotten up early and gone for a walk. He heard the happy cries of her litter outside. Daisy's kits were curled up asleep in their nest, and at the far back Dovewing was sat, looking nervously at him.

" _This makes things slightly easier."_ he thought to himself.

Sighing, Bumblestripe forced himself to sit down in front of her and actually look her in the eyes.

"I'm glad you're here.." she mewed timidly, as her kits whined for more milk from their nest, starting to wriggle about and reach for her stomach.

"Before we get started, I wanted to make something perfectly clear." Bumblestripe began cautiously. Dovewing nodded, looking hopeful. He inhaled deeply.

"I am _furious_ with you, for what you have done. You broke not just my heart, but my trust in you too." Dovewing's face began to look more and more crestfallen as he went on. "I'd like to say I hate you, but honestly? Even after all this, I still love you Dovewing… I love you, and I don't want anything to happen to you, or these kits. Weather they are mine or not." Dovewing nodded, looking weary.

"If you want to be mates still, we can always try and make it work only if _you_ want to. And I mean really want to, no more running away behind my back with Tigerheart. And even if I do end up happy and mates with you still? Don't be surprised if I never trust you fully again." she didn't respond she just stared at him for what seemed like moons.

"Bumblestripe.. I don't know. I want you to be here for these kits, _our_ kits." she mewed, reaching towards him with a fore paw, but Bumblestripe looked away.

"I do want to be here for these kits. Understand? Family is important. Even if you don't want to be mates with me, these cats need a father figure in their lives. I _will_ be that for them." he let out a tired sigh, and didn't say anything else. Waiting for her reply made him anxiously knead the ground with his paws.

"I want to be mates, Bumblestripe… But not with someone who may not ever trust me again." Bumblestripe looked away, staring at the wall, pretending he didn't care. Ignoring the feeling of his heart starting to break into ice shards and his urge to yowl and scream.

"And that is my fault, I'm sorry you blamed yourself for so long. I don't deserve you.. But these kits do." she added, sounding desperate.

Bumblestripe stared hard at the moss covered ground. "Then I will be their father. But not your mate any longer. Understand?" He mewed, forcing himself to sound confident, like this is what he intended the outcome to be. Even if it came off as rude and uncaring.

"I understand." Dovewing mewed, her voice hoarse. Bumblestripe sighed and turned back to face her, but didn't quite manage to look at her face.

" _If I look at those sad, blue eyes I'll forgive for everything she's done, and I'll hate myself forever for it."_ he cleared his throat and looked down at the kits, trying to avoid her stare.

"So, names then?" he asked. Dovewing coughed, before letting out a forced purr.

"Yes, names! You can name them, if you'd like." she mewed, trying to keep her voice light and positive sounding, but it sounded very forced.

"Names, names…" he mumbled to himself, before pointing his paw at the little gray tom. "I think the name Larkkit will suit him nicely… Yes. My little Larkkit." he breathed, his yellow eyes glowing with love as he gazed at the small gray kit as it wailed pitifully for more milk. Dovewing mewed "But what about the other kit."

"Oh yes, _that_ kit." He forced himself to look at her, properly. Sure she had very similar markings to a certain Shadowclan cat. Who he'd love to claw the eyes out of.

" _The kit isn't him. The kit didn't ask for this. The kit is innocent._ " he told himself over and over again.

But her pelt was a paler brown, and her ears were small like his own. Bumblestripe leaned forward to inspect the kit more closely. Suddenly she tilted her head back and let out a very loud, hungry wail. Making Bumblestripe jump, and let out a surprised purr.

"She… Is kind of cute. In her own way. Small, tiny and brown like a shrew…"

"Shrewkit it is then." Dovewing purred, settling down near her kits, and gently directing them back to her belly so they could suckle. Bumblestripe didn't look at how content Dovewing was, but instead focused on the kits. Both strong, happy and yet so small. it made his pelt feel warm with pride, as he sat and watched them for a long time, until he noticed Dovewing had seemed to have fallen asleep. Quietly he got to his paws and crept away, careful to not shake the nursery and he wriggled out the entrance. Sandstorm and Purdy were sat looking at him expectantly. With Millie and Briarlight not so subtlety trying to catch his gaze too. Goldenkit was playing moss ball with Amberkit, Dewkit and Snowkit, complaining at how big the other kits were compared to him. While Daisy tried to referee with them, making sure no arguments got out of hand.

"Well then young 'un? What did ya' think of the kits?" Purdy asked, tilting his graying head to the side.

"They were… Wonderful. I have decided, I will raise them as my own kits."

"Oh that is so thoughtful Bumblestripe. I don't know another tom who could of handled what happened the way you have," Sandstorm purred.

"But… Dovewing and I are no longer mates." he added, quieter.

"Well that's understandable." Sandstorm mewed, before leaning close to him, her voice a quiet whisper. "There were plenty of times where I nearly gave up with Firestar too."

"Really?!" Bumblestripe gasped, staring at the much older she-cat.

"Really. He was so busy padding after Spottedleaf and the prophecies, he never could see what he had in the Clan." Sandstorm paused, and briskly started to groom her chest fur. "Anyway, you better go hunting. Purdy is hungry, aren't you?" she asked meaningfully.

"Eh? Wha'? I just ate." Purdy asked, looking puzzled. Sandstorm cleared her throat and glared at Purdy. A few moments later it seemed to click with the old tom what she was trying to do.

"Oh uh.. If ya' could catch me a large squirrel that'd be lovely chap." Purdy mewed, purring at him. "My favorite prey is squirrel. Say, Sandstorm? Did ah' ever tell you the time ah' caught a squirrel up in the trees in Leaf-Bare?"

"Yes Purdy, about a thousand times." Sandstorm groaned, only for Purdy to keep talking.

"Well it 'appened like this. Back when ah' I was a young, handsome tom - not that ah' ain't handsome as is! - I was gettin' cold…"

"Oh I best go catch you that squirrel then. Sandstorm you better tell me the story when I get back!" Bumblestripe excused himself, quickly escaping out of ear range, letting out a _mrow_ of laughter as he pushed his way out in to the forest. His spirits had lifted, and he marched out in to the forest with purpose.

"Family is important, family is important.." he repeated to himself over and over, while walking through the forest towards the Windclan border. He saw Ivypool's patrol in the distance, the silver-and-white tabby looked at him expectantly. He dipped his head to her, she looked a lot happier, but continued leading her border patrol. Bumblestripe stood staring after them, waiting until they had disappeared from sight before starting to hunt.


	32. Chapter 31 - Tigerheart

**4 moons and 2 sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Tigerheart let out a deep, rumbling purr as he gently groomed Dovewing's cheek. They had decided to meet on the edge of Thunderclan territory, at the top of the river. The same river they had traveled upwards from to unblock the river.

"You shouldn't have come to see me tonight. I'm happy but… Look at you. Surely the kits must be due soon?" he rested his tail tip on her swollen, bloated stomach. It was so large it almost dragged along the floor due to Dovewing's short legs.

"Jayfeather thinks they will be here by tomorrow or during the gathering.." she blinked and looked down. "So if you go to gathering, you'll know."

"I can't wait. We'll have the most wonderful kits in the whole of Thunderclan. But please be careful for me? They're so overdue."

"I know. But I have the best medicine cats in the whole of the Clans, I'll be fine."

Dovewing didn't look up at all during the conversation, she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the riverbed. Tigerheart twitched his ear, unused to the silence.

"So did you tell anyone about us?"

"No, but Ivypool figured it out."

"Oh fox-dung. Is she going to march right into camp and claw my throat open?" he asked, unable to keep some of the fear out of his voice. This made the small she cat let out a small purr.

"No. she figured it out a few moons ago. She said she is going to stay out of it."

"Well that explains the fact she keeps glaring at me at gatherings and at border patrols. Anyone else? Like… Bumblestripe?"

"No."

Silence fell upon them again. Tigerheart stood there for a while, before going to lean against her, only for Dovewing to start padding away. she stopped and turned to look at him.

"I should get back to camp. Everyone keeps going on at me to stay in the Nursery."

"Oh.. Alright. I'll see you soon, right?"

"Mmm."

Dovewing walked away. Tigerheart waited until she was completely out of sight, before leaping across the river. Sighing he rolled around on the fresh Shadowclan border markers, making sure no Thunderclan scent was left before heading back to camp.

 **4 Moons and four days after the Dark Forest Battle.**

It was the Gathering tonight, Tigerheart let out a quiet call outside Blackstar's den.

"Come in Tigerheart." Nightshade called. Tigerheart crept in uncertainly. Nightshade was sat upright, grooming Blackstar's ragged pelt. The old leader was sat with his eyes closed, clearly enjoying the pampering. Rowanclaw's scent was fresh near the den. Tigerheart jumped as Blackstar spoke.

"Yes Tigerheart?"

"I, um… May I go to the Gathering tonight?

"Why?"

"I didn't go to the last one, and I just-"

"Not a good enough reason." he interrupted, opening his eyes to look at him. Nightshade stopped grooming mid lick, clearly listening in on the conversation.

"Please Blackstar, I-"

"He said no." Nightshade retorted, flattening her ears.

" _I wasn't speaking to you!"_ Tigerheart bit his tongue, holding back his retort. Getting on Nightshade's bad side would just prevent him going all together.

"I need strong warriors to stay at camp tonight. We've smelt Thunderclan scents across the border. They might be planning an attack."

" _Fox dung. That'll be Dovewing._ " he groaned inwardly. "I had noticed that myself. Sorry Blackstar, you can trust me to look after this camp with my life."

"Well, that is the duty of a Warrior is it not? To lay down your life for your clan, over everything else." Blackstar had narrowed his eyes as he spoke, and Tigerheart's pelt prickled.

" _He still doesn't trust me."_ he realized with a pang. " _If he finds out about Dovewing, he'll throw me out all together… "_

"Now leave, I must get ready for the gathering." The large white cat waved one of his large black paws dismissively at him. Tigerheart dipped his head and quickly left the den, and looked around. Shrewfoot was sat across the clearing, looking expectantly at him. Letting out an aggravated sigh, he padded over to her.

"You going?" she called out curiously as he approached, he shook his head. Shrewfoot must of noticed the disappointment in his face. "Too bad, Tigerheart. I'll tell you everything once you get back, if you'd like."

"That'd be great, thanks Shrewfoot." He dipped his head to her, trying to ignore the adoring look the pretty gray cat was giving him. He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "If you can let me know everything that Thunderclan reports, that will be great. You know how those crowfood eaters keep being scented at the border. I need to know everything, to keep our Clan safe."

"Of course, oh you're just _so_ brave and loyal!" she mewed, letting out a purr. "We need more cats like you in the Clan." she added, narrowing her eyes affectionately at him. Tigerheart licked his stomach fur, feeling himself go hot.

"Uh.. Yeah. Thanks." " _Why couldn't I just be attracted to you instead? My life would be much simpler."_

"I um.. Need to go guard the entrance, Blackstar told me to. I'll catch you later then." he got to his paws and turned to pad away from his adoring fan.

"Alright, see you later Tiger'!" She called after him, a teasing note in her voice. Tigerheart tried to ignore her, and the _mrows_ of amusement that came from Rockheart, Mousedapple and Cloudpaw.

"…And then Bramblestar reported that there were two litters of new kits born in their Clan."

"Oh?" Tigerheart tried not to seem too interested with the news, slowly moving a stone with his paw as he sat staring out at the territory. "Who's had kits then?"

"That old loner, Daisy, has had two kits. And I think that weird short cat Dovewing had two too. Her sister was their. Ivypool is her name right? She didn't look happy. She must of wanted that fat Bumblestripe to herself, hah!"

"Yeah, she _is_ weird alright." Tigerheart muttered, forcing his fur to remain flat as he insulted his love. "Bumblestripe had her kits though? You'd think she'd have some standards."

"Yeah, he is just such a loser, and his name? Ugh. Blackstar at least gives us all respectable names."

"… Did Bramblestar mention anything else about the kits" he asked, trying to sound as uninterested as he could about the kits.

"Like?" Shrewfoot asked, tilting her head to the side slightly as she gazed at him. Tigerheart felt his pelt prickle slightly. It looked like the she-cat would to anything to have his kits.

"Names, or if they were healthy?"

"I think Daisy's kits were named Mallowkit and Creamkit. I don't remember what Dovewing's litter was called though. I guess they're healthy."

"Oh.. Well thanks for telling me everything Shrewfoot, but I better get back on guard duty now." he turned away from her, tucking his tail over his paws.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry If I've bothered you!" she mewed quickly, pushing her way back into the camp.

Tigerheart let out a groan as he opened his eyes. It was finally dawn. The dark tabby hadn't gone to sleep, but he had kept his eyes closed all night. Tigerstar taught him that if he did that while an enemy was invading, they'd think he was asleep making him an easy target. Then you could surprise your enemy easily. He looked up to see the sun slowly rising above the tree tops, staining the clouds pink and red. He strained his ears, to hear the dawn patrol being organized.

He got to his paws, but hesitated at the thought of padding back to camp. He slowly looked to the entrance of his Clan, to the forest that stretched ahead. He was tired, his paws were heavy. All he wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep. But his heart was yearning was to see his mate, and his newborn kits. Were they she kits? Toms? One of each? he didn't know. He hesitated, but hearing the dawn patrol start to push through the tunnel, he knew he had to go now if he was.

He started running, leaping over fallen trees, dodging patches of nettles, not slowing until he reached the border. He paused briefly, looking down at the cold water, before taking a few steps back and leaping across the riverbed. He flicked his tail in satisfaction, before heading deeper into Thunderclan territory and waiting just out of sight of the border. He was sat with the wind blowing south against him, he knew his scent would be carried to the oncoming dawn patrol. He sat, clawing at the ground with his front paws, listening out for any oncoming sounds of a patrol.

He sat there, listening to the sounds of birds chirping, and the wind blowing through the leaves in the trees. It looked like it was going to be a reasonably warm, Leaf-fall day.

Finally after what felt like moons had gone by, the dawn patrol came in to view. At the head was the Thunderclan leader himself, Bramblestar. Along side him was Molepaw, Millie and… Bumblestripe.

" _Ah fox dung."_

Millie scented him first, and angrily turned to face where he was hiding, letting out an aggressive hiss and unsheathing her claws.

"Come out or we'll claw your ears off." she snarled, only for Bramblestar to step forward and give Millie a warning look.

" _Let's hope they don't claw me.."_ he thought as he stepped out into the open. Bramblestar blinked, looking surprised to see his nephew. Millie and Molepaw glanced at each other, clearly not sure what was going on. Bumblestripe's ears had gone flat, and his lips were drawn back in a snarl.

"Tigerheart. What are you doing on my territory?" Bramblestar asked, narrowing his amber eyes dangerously. "Are any of your Clan mates nearby?"

"No, no I promise I'm the only cat here." Bramblestar looked doubtful, and leaned forward to whisper something into Millie's ear. She dipped her head, gesturing with her tail to her apprentice, and the two disappeared into the brambles. " _Making sure no other cats are invading."_

"So, why are you here then?" Bramblestar cut in to his thoughts. Tigerheart hesitated, before drawing in a deep breath. " _Starclan watch over me_. _Do not let my pelt be torn off, and used like bedding in Bumblestripe's nest_."

"I came to see my kits." Tigerheart mewed, trying to sound confident. Bramblestar didn't respond right away. He was either suprised at the revelation the kits were his, or trying to figure out how to tell him no. But Bumblestripe stepped forward, shaking his head.

"They are _my_ kits. Now leave." He spat out these words, and his fur had started to fluff up, making the already large tom look almost intimidating. Tigerheart stared him out, his amber eyes reflecting in Bumblestripe's pale yellow eyes. It looked like the gray tabby wanted to tear his pelt off of him. Finally Bramblestar spoke up.

"Weather they are your kits or not Tigerheart, it does not matter. They are safe in our Nursery, being cared for by the whole clan. Bumblestripe and I will make sure you go across the border-"

"Bramblestar, please. You can't forbid me from seeing them." Tigerheart argued, thinking fast, he tried a different tactic. "When you were a kit., didn't you want to know who your father was? You wanted to know why you looked different, why it seemed the Clan judged you.. Right?"

Bramblestar paused, clearly caught off guard, before shaking his head. "It would of been better in long run if we hadn't met our father-"

"But as a kit you didn't think that did you? I bet you just wanted to see him."

"The kits haven't even opened their eyes yet." Bumblestripe retorted, clawing at the ground. "They don't need to know you exist, they will be better, happier knowing I am their father. Which I am, so-"

"Tigerheart I think you can see the kits." Bramblestar cut in, twitching his ear. Bumblestripe looked furious, and spun around to challenge his leader.

"How _could_ you agree to this-"

"Because Bumblestripe, you're right. They haven't opened their eyes yet." Bumblestripe hesitated, lashing his tail. Bramblestar turned to look back at Tigerheart.

"This is the only time you will be allowed to see them. If Dovewing even agrees to it. It's better they all believe they are full-clan cats. Don't get any ideas." with that he turned away, signalling with his tail to follow him. Tigerheart and Bumblestripe walked along side by side, his pelt prickling with unease. Whenever he glanced to look at the gray tabby, he was watching him. Millie and Molepaw caught up to the patrol.

"There were no other Shadowclan warriors scented nearby." she reported, glancing back at Tigerheart in confusion. "Bramblestar? Why is he still here?"

"He is here to look at _my_ kits." Bumblestripe growled. Millie blinked, looking confused, before taking a good long look at Tigerheart, then it seemed to click in her head. The graying tabbies blue eyes were bright with fury, and she leaped forward, the small tabby knocking Tigerheart onto his back, snarling, inches from his throat. Bramblestar darted forward, and attempted to pull the hysterical she-cat off of his kin.

"Millie, stop!" he hissed,unable to dislodge the surprisingly strong she-cat from Tigerheart. He turned and glared at Molepaw and Bumblestripe before barking at them to help. Molepaw hesitated, before grabbing at his mentor and pulling her backwards. Bumblestripe however didn't move. The usually peaceful tom was grinning with sick glee at the sight of his mother attacking his enemy. When Bramblestar barked at him again though, he quickly thrust himself between Tigerheart and his mother.

"Stop Millie, it's.. It'll be okay!" He mewed reluctantly, gently pushing her away with his large head. Millie was still shrieking and hissing however as she got off of Tigerheart. Hurling disgusting insults, and at one point it seemed like she was speaking a whole different language all together, barking like a dog. Bramblestar finally snapped and screeched at her himself, taking everyone by surprise.

"Millie that is enough! I know what has happened isn't what you or your family wanted? But you know what? Be grateful these kites found sooner than I did about my heritage! I'm sick of your constant complaining. You get to see your kin every day. I don't… Have that luck." Bramblestar stopped, and inhaled deeply. "He is only going to be here for a short while, then you'll never see him on this territory again, now stop belly aching and start walking."

Millie stared, speechless. she opened her mouth but no sound came out. Bramblestar nodded, satisfied he had won the argument and continued walking, waving his tail at the rest of the patrol. Molepaw gently nudged his mentor and murmured "C'mon Millie, we can keep an eye on this fox-heart.". Tigerheart stopped watching them and focused on Bramblestar. " _Why is he so willing to defend me? Did I strike a nerve with him back at the border?"_

Tigerheart followed his uncle in to the clan, cautiously pushing his way through the gorse tunnel that protected the Clan. His scent had already traveled far. Cat's were streaking out of their dens, looking hostile at the sight of this cat. Bumblestripe stalked past him and squeezed in to the larger den, where a faint milk scent was coming from.

" _That's the nursery."_ he thought. He noticed Squirrelflight pad up to the patrol, her dark fluffy tail was swishing side to side. Millie barged past her and headed straight for the Elders den, calling for Graystripe to come out here.. Molepaw glanced at the Shadowclan tom nervously, but stood his ground while Tigerheart stared at him, narrowing his eyes at him.

" _Brave apprentice._ " He mused, he decided to bare his long, sharp teeth at the apprentice in a half smile, half growl. Almost instantly the apprentice let out a scared "mew" and ran away, hiding behind Berrynose. Bramblestar turned around and gave his a look. Tigerheart just blinked, feigning innocence. Bramblestar sighed and turned back to his deputy.

"Squirrelflight, Tigerheart is here to see uh.. ' _his'_ kits." He muttered, trying to keep his voice down. Squirrelflight however, didn't bother.

" _ **His**_ kits?" she repeated loudly.

"Yes… Agh, Squirrelflight listen to me…" he whispered, looking annoyed. The clan heard everything, and gossip quickly spread among the nearby, growing crowd

The clan started chatting loudly among themselves as the leader and deputy whispered to each other, heads locked. He heard Poppyfrost suggest to Berrynose they remove his testicles and make him a she-cat.

" _Nothing wrong with that, Rowanclaw did that and she turned out great."_ he thought to himself.

He felt something gently nudge his tail, he turned around to see a large, pale ginger tom kit trying to bat at his tail, seemingly unaware he was an intruder. Tigerheart let out an amused purr and flicked his tail for him. Sandstorm rushed forward protectively. "Goldenkit! Stop that now!" she hissed urgently, grabbing her son by the scruff, though the old she-cat visibly strained from the effort to lift the large energetic kit.

"Aww, why? It's just Bramblestar, he just stinks!" Goldenkit mewed, making grabbing motions towards the dark tabby, squealing loudly and playfully to him. Only to stop, confused when he realized Bramblestar was arguing with Squirrelflight right in front of him. The kit stared at the Thunderclan leader, then back at Tigerheart, and back again several times as Sandstorm tried to carry him backwards through the Nursery

"Mooooom..? Why are there two Bramblestar's?! And why does one smell?!" he yelled, as he disappeared from view, catching the attention of some nearby clan mates, who all started mreowing and sniggering at the little cats outburst. The outburst caught Bramblestar's and Squirrelflights attention, who looked at each other, their whiskers twitching with momentary amusement.

"Alright, fine he can see the kits." Squirrelflight mewed, reluctantly. She quickly looked around at the crowd though, seeing their dissatisfied expressions. "But! Ivypool and… Mousewhisker will sit outside the nursery as guards. If anything starts, they will sort it." There were still dissatisfied grumbles, but most of the clan began to disperse.

"Come on Thunderclan, break it up! I need two more border patrols, a hunting patrol, and some cats to volunteer to escort Tigerheart back to camp once he's done…" she barked out, regaining authority over her clan. Tigerheart glanced at Bramblestar, who gave him a reassuring nod, before padding away towards the cliff face.

" _His den must be up there."_ He thought, as he turned to face the Nursery, he saw out of the corner of his eye Ivypool and Mousewhisker marching over. The silver and tabby she-cat looked furious, and when Tigerheart looked her in the eyes, he could see the fury and protectiveness of the kits glowing in her deep blue eyes. She bared her sharp white teeth at him, and Tigerheart felt the fur along his spine raise, and he quickly shoved his way through the Nursery entrance to avoid speaking to her.

" _Am I afraid of Ivypool?"_ he wondered, blinking as his amber eyes adjusted to the gloom of the Nursery. He could make out the shape of Daisy, who was lay closest to the entrance. The large cream cat had two small kits suckling at her belly, and she didn't look Tigerheart in the eyes. He quickly realized the queens might not know why he's here, and could attack him to "save" their kits.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to invade or anything! I'm here to see-"

" _My_ kits." Bumblestripe finished, Tigerheart looked at where the voice came from. The large striped tom was stood up, fur bristling as his muscles strained under his pelt. He looked through the gaps in Bumblestripes legs, to see Dovewing's bright blue eyes gazing at him, a mixture of fear, happiness and love he could see on her face.

"Hey there, my little Dove." He murmured quietly to her, ignoring the gasps from the other queens, and Bumblestripes deep throated growl.

He flickered his gaze around the rest of the Nursery. Brightheart, had slowly gotten to her paws, not taking her good eye off of Tigerheart as she moved. She spoke to her kits, who were all sat staring at the newcomer with wide, curious eyes.

"Come on kits, let's go hear some more of Purdy's stories." Brightheart mewed, her tone overly happy as she gently nudged her kits along. The smallest kit, a white and gray she-cat glared at her mother.

"But there's a Shadowclan cat here! I need to protect Goldenkit!" she mewed adamantly.

"Goldenkit doesn't need protecting." Brightheart mewed firmly, shoving her daughter forward with a large paw. Ignoring Goldenkit's call of " _I can protect myself!"_ "Tigerheart is only here to greet the kits"

"But why?" Another kit mewed. This was a tom, his fur was darker gray. "They are Thunderclan kits."

"Mmm." Was all Brightheart said, as Tigerheart stepped aside and let the kits pass him. They didn't say anything else as they left, though the white tom stared at him curiously, so he stared back. Tigerheart felt a cat was standing in front of him, so he turned his head. Brightheart was stood in front of him. Her one blue eyed focused on him. He only took in how large she was, bigger than even he was. He hesitated, trying to make himself look larger by slowly fluffing up his fur, he tried to not stare at the scars on her face, or her empty eye socket. But Brightheart didn't even blink. She narrowed her eye before she spoke.

"Any hurting these kits. Any of them, and I'll make sure your pelt would be used as bedding for the next moon. Understood?" she mewed, keeping her voice cool and calm.

"Y-yes of course." He mewed, trying to keep his voice even too. Brightheart didn't respond, she just nodded before pushing past him and leaving the den. Tigerheart turned and stepped over the now empty nest. He looked over at the other nest, recognising Sandstorm and Goldenkit sat there. Sandstorm just turned her head, not interested in arguing. But pulled her kit closer to her protectively, much to the smaller cat's dismay. Carefully he stepped past Sandstorm's nest. He could have sworn he felt a small clawed paw gently bat at his tail tip, and Goldenkit quietly mumbling. " _Touch_." To himself.

He stood nose to nose with Bumblestripe, trying to not come off as threatening. However the pale striped cat didn't bother to hide his anger. As Tigerheart held eye contact with him, he could see his own reflection in his eyes, and he became aware how quickly that despite his constant jokes about Bumblestripe being fat and harmless. He could put up a very good fight if he needed to, and his weight would add to his dangerousness with heavier blows. He twitched his tail tip and tried to keep his tone of voice friendly.

"Can I see the kits?" he asked. Sighing inwardly as Bumblestripe didn't move from above Dovewing.

"You do understand Bramblestar and Squirrelflight have given me permission. Right?" He mewed, forcing himself to keep his claws sheathed, though his paws itched for a fight as Bumblestripe continued to ignore him. "You know the warrior code: the word of the leader is the warrior code. Do you want to go against your code?"

"I think Starclan would understand me ignoring the code this one time. Besides, you can't lecture anyone about breaking the rules." He growled, stepping forward. Only for Dovewing to speak up, if very quietly.

"Bumblestripe. _Please_ , don't fight. Not in front of my kits." She whispered, laying her tail protectively over the kits. Sandstorm looked over, finally paying attention to the argument.

"Bumblestripe. Stand down. I might be old but don't think I won't rip your fur off your back legs." She snapped. Bumblestripe let out a long, angry growl, before stepping over Dovewing, and maneuvering to sit behind Tigerheart. Sandstorm just yawned and closed her eyes, muttering "Goldenkit go play outside."

"Fine, but if you do anything…" Bumblestripe continued his talk with Sandstorm, sitting up and staring over Tigerheart's shoulder. Tigerheart did his best to ignore that, and settled down on his haunches, to be face to face with Dovewing, letting out a purr. He heard the branches shake as Goldenkit left the den, but was more focused on the kits.

"I told you I'd be here." He mewed, gently touching noses with her. Ignoring the angry huffing and snarling coming from Bumblestripe. "So, can I see the kits, or are they attached to that fluffy tail of yours?"

She slowly moved her tail away, and watched Tigerheart closely as he looked at the kits. Tigerheart stared, letting out a happy crooning noise as he looked at them. They were so small, but so very cute. They seemed happy the tail had been moved off them, and the smaller brown kit started to let out another tiny shrill wail.

"They're wonderful." He purred, leaning forward to get a good look at them. The tiny brown kit stopped wailing and went back to suckling. But the little gray tom, started to wiggle around in the nest, slowly facing away from Dovewing. Tigerheart purred.

"Where you going little tom?" he asked, gently nudging him back to Dovewing with a paw. "There we go, back to mama. There's a strong little warrior." He added. He sat watching them more, for a while. Ignoring the breathing of Bumblestripe that was close the back of his head.

"So, did you name them already?" he asked, trying to not sound hopeful at the idea he could name them.

"Oh yes, the she-kit is called Shrewkit, and the tom is Larkkit." Dovewing mewed quietly, nudging Larkkit back to her belly with a back paw as he was wriggling away again.

"Shrewkit and Larkkit. It suits them. Did you name them?" Tigerheart asked, looking curiously at her, she didn't meet his eyes.

"No. _I_ did." Bumblestripe growled.

"Ah, well they are good names." He mewed, keeping his voice cheerful. "Though… If I was to name them, I'd of called them Shrewkit and Minkkit. Look at him, wriggling around like a fierce mink!"

"Yes well they are Larkkit and Shrewkit." Bumblestripe hissed, getting to his paws. "You've seen the kits, now you can go."

"I- ah." Tigerheart stared at Dovewing, looking dismayed. Dovewing just stared back, looking as distraught as he felt. He let out a sigh, knowing if he didn't move Bumblestripe would call for the guards. "Fine, I'll go." He mewed, getting up slowly, staring at his family. "I'll see you at the gatherings, okay?"

"Okay…" Dovewing sighed, closing her eyes and looking away from the toms. Tigerheart turned around, and shoved Bumblestripe out of his way to get to the exit. Keeping his eye contact away from Ivypool as he wriggled out. Ignoring the fact he knew Ivypool and Bumblestripe were staring holes in the back of his head. Mousewhisker however, he seemed sympathetic to him. He saw Ivypool lean towards Bumblestripe, and whisper softly. " _Dirty other-clan breeder_." Bumblestripe let out a quiet snigger. But Mousewhisker just looked very uncomfortable before speaking up.

"Really? Ivypool, you're kin of Cloudtail. Who was born from kittypets. Bumblestripe, Millie was a Kittypet. I don't suppose you hold the two of them to same regard do you?" this clearly surprised the two of them, and they started hissing at the larger tom.

"What's eating you Mousewhisker? You know why we're angry about this." Bumblestripe growled. "She was my mate!"

"She's my sister you fleabrain!" Ivypool added, swishing her tail.

"Really? I had nooo idea." Mousewhisker retorted sarcastically. "Not being a full clan-cat isn't the end of the world. I turned out fine. It's just a shame Firestar's teaching's seem to have fallen on hypcritical ears."

Tigerheart backed away slowly, aware that a very nasty argument was about to break out. He accidentally bumped into Goldenkit. Who didn't seem too bothered.

Goldenkit looked up at the dark tabby, it looked like he had been sat on his own, drawing lines in the dirt. He quickly got up and spun around to see him, wriggling as he stood still staring at him.

"Hi!" he mewed loudly, baring his teeth at him, in a seemingly friendly gesture. "I'm Goldenkit." He added. "Mama said not to speak to you but…" he leaned in closer, his green eyes twinkling with mischief. "She's sleeping." Tigerheart's whiskers twitched with amusement, and he padded away from the nursery entrance and sat down near the lines of dirt he had drawn, gesturing with his tail that Goldenkit could come join him.

"Hello Goldenkit, I'm Tigerheart from Shadowclan." He mewed, tucking his paws in. He noticed Bumblestripe give him a dirty look, before he wondered off towards the warriors den.

" _Probably looking for Squirrelflight to organize that escort back_." He thought to himself, unsheathing and sheathing his claws in frustration. Goldenkit didn't notice this.

"I heard everyone saying you were from Shadowclan! That's why you smell funny." The little kit continued, oblivious to the funny looks the Thunderclan cats were giving them. "Why do you smell funny?"

"Um… Well, the Shadowclan scent is a mix of pine trees, the marshes and other marsh plants." Tigerheart began, occasionally looking at the cats who were staring at him. Taking note that Blossomfall, Graystripe and Millie were all sat watching him at different locations. Blossomfall is sat by the fresh-kill pile, seemingly deep in conversation with her best friend Rosepetal. But Tigerheart wasn't mouse-brained, he could see her green eyes constantly flickering towards him. Graystripe and Millie were lay on some rocks near the Warrior den, with Purdy, Brightheart, and her kits.

"But uh… To me, you Thunderclan cats don't smell funny to me. You smell like fresh moss, flowers and just… Pleasant." He mewed, thinking about Dovewing's soft, friendly smell. He purred, only to be brought back to reality by Goldenkit.

"So you staying with us then?" he chirped, looking hopeful. "You can share my nest with me if you don't fit in the Warriors den."

"That's a kind offer, but no I'll be going back to Shadowclan soon. My family and friends are there."

"Ohhh… Okay." Goldenkit mewed, looking disappointed. But he piped up another question almost immediately.

"Why do you look like Bramblestar"? He asked, wide eyed and curious.

"I suppose it's because Tawnypelt, my mother, is Bramblestar's littermate." he mewed, watching the little kit go from excited and confused.

"But... Why would there be siblings in different clans?" He asked, before looking away and waving his tail "Hi sis'!" he called, as Squirrelflight approached, behind her was Cinderheart, Toadstep, and Lilypaw.

" _That must be my escort patrol."_ He blinked at the patrol and got up. " _She's chosen cats who have nothing against me!"_

"We're going now?" He asked, glancing once more at the nursery. Squirrelflight sighed impatiently.

"Yes, now. I'm sure your Clan is worried where you went. Come on." She marched past him and slowly Tigerheart followed, his tail between his legs. As he entered the gorse tunnel, he glanced one last time over his shoulder to see Blossomfall and Bumblestripe stood glaring at him. He sighed and looked forward again, and followed the dark ginger she-cat through the forest.

Blackstar stared in confusion at the Thunderclan cats escorting Tigerheart into his camp. Smokefoot, Marshstep and Mousedapple all leaped to their paws, snarling and hissing at the patrol. Squirrelflight didn't even blink at them, she kept walking until she was stood in front of Blackstar.

"What is going on?" he growled, staring down at Squirrelflight. "Why do you have my warrior?" More Shadowclan cats slinked out from the shadows and dens, making a ring around the Thunderclan cats. Rowanclaw pushed her way through the crowd, and stood next to her leader.

"Well, you see our dawn patrol encountered him trespassing on our territory." Squirrelflight began, before pausing, not sure how to continue the conversation.

"What? Are you accusing him of stealing prey?" Rowanclaw hissed, lashing her tail.

"No actually." Squirrelflight snapped, her neck fur bristling slightly, but she tried to compose herself before speaking again. "He demanded to come to Thunderclan to look at Dovewing's kits."

"What?" several yowls rose up from Tigerheart's clan mates in defense of him. That just made him feel worse. But Tigerheart stared down at the ground, refusing to look any of them in the eyes. Blackstar raised his tail for silence, though it took a while for his clan to quieten.

"And why, may I ask. Why would he have done that?" He growled, his old yellow teeth visible as he drew his lips back in a slight snarl as he glared at Squirrelflight.

"Because-"

"Because they are my kits!" Tigerheart shouted, stunning his clan in to silence. He looked up at last, to see the horrified expression of both his mothers, he turned to look at his friend's desperately. Most looked disgusted to, all except Shrewfoot. He stared at her the longest, and watched her expression turn from shock, to sadness.

"Well then… Thank you Squirrelflight for bringing this… Two time traitor back to my Clan. I will deal with him myself." Blackstar growled, his voice quiet and dangerously harsh sounding. Tigerheart sat down, his pelt bristling nervously, as the Thunderclan patrol dipped their heads respectfully and padded away. He could of sworn Toadstep looked back at him, to make sure he was okay. Once they were out of sight, Blackstar spun around, and leapt up to the Highbranch, before pulling himself up with his powerful legs.

"Let all cats old enough to hunt together at night, join together under the Highbranch for a clan meeting."

" _Here it comes._ " he thought as all the cats got comfortable. He tried his best to ignore Shrewfoot's gaze boring into the side of his head.

"So, for those of you who are hard of hearing, or were asleep. Tigerheart was just escorted back to camp by Thunderclan. Because he's had kits with a Thunderclan cat!" he bellowed, making sure every cat in the Clan heard every word. Quickly his clan mates yelled out insults to him. Mainly " _Traitor_ " and " _Half-Clan breeder!_ "

"So this cat deserves a punishment fit for his actions." Blackstar continued, over the insult calling. He leapt down from his branch and landed a mouse-length from him.

"I shall quickly discuss with my deputy, and our senior elder." he turned to Rowanclaw, and gestured for Tallpoppy to join him, the old, long legged she cat gave him a sympathetic look as she passed by. The three cats sat together, heads close, almost touching as they whispered to each other in hushed voices. Tigerheart strained to hear. But he couldn't hear anything over his own clan mates chattering to themselves, eagerly throwing out worse and worse punishments. Finally the large white tom turned around and stood in front of Tigerheart, Rowanclaw and Talloppy were still sat not too far away, gazing at him.

"I've come to a decision. You seem to have trouble remembering our basic rules taught to apprentices. So. For three months you will sleep in the apprentice den. You will clean nests, care for elders, and hunt for the clan first. You will not talk about your mistake in Thunderclan to any clan-mates. You will show us you are a good warrior eventually.

"I… Thank you for your generosity Blackstar." Tigerheart mewed, humbly dipping his head. However it seemed most cats were not satisfied with the punishment. He heard Kinktail call out. "That's all? Blackstar I think you've got bees in your brain!"

Blackstar whipped around and snarled at her. "Do I now? Look at this way Kinkfur: His kits will never know he is the father. He will never get to see them grow up, and one day he may have to fight them one day." Kinkfur blinked, and looked slightly more satisfied after he explained it.

Tigerhearts heart sank as he said that. Realizing how difficult it will be to see his kits love someone else as their father.

"Your punishment has started. Your first job? I'm sure the elders have ticks that need removing. The meeting is over!" Blackstar called. Sighing, Tigerheart slowly walked to the fresh-kill pile, and plucked a mouse from the pile. Before waiting for the elders to lay down so he could apply the mouse bile. Just grateful he could stay in the Clan. He forced himself to ignore the hisses of disgust and insults his clan mates threw his way. He only looked up to see Emberfoot. She was not saying anything, but the look she gave him stung more than anything she could have said.


	33. Chapter 32 - Dawnpelt

**4 moons and 12 sunrises after the Dark Forest Battle.**

Dawnpelt purred at her kits, starting to lap at Flamekits head. "Todays the day my little kits open their eyes!" she moved on to cleaning Batkit, the tiny tom let out a pitiful cry and tried to scoot away.

"Should open their eyes." Nightshade drawled sleepily from the back of the Nursery. "It only took Ratkit a quarter moon to open hers."

"Yes well we can't all be gifted like our leaders kit." Dawnpelt snapped back, her voice tinged with anger. The cream she-cat was known for her temper, but Nightshade didn't react.

"Feel better?" Nightshade asked dryly, as she got up and headed out the Nursery entrance. "Just going to get some fresh-kill." she called over her shoulder. Ratkit however stayed in the Nursery, and plodded towards Dawnpelts kits, her amber eyes wide and curious.

"Have they opened their eyes yet?" Ratkit mewed, staring up at the cream cat.

Dawnpelt sighed, and roughly started to groom Whitekit, ignoring Ratkit the best she could.

"Hey Flamekit!" Ratkit mewed, and started to prod the ginger toms head. "Wake up, we want to meet you!"

Dawnpelt hissed at Ratkit, her fur standing on end. "Do not touch my sons again."

Ratkit backed up a couple of paces, before flattening her ears and running out of the entrance to find Nightshade or Blackstar.

"Father, father! Dawnpelt is being mean to me!"

"Ah fox-dung." Dawnpelt muttered, readying herself mentally for Blackstar's lecture about "Respecting his kin" for the umpteenth time.

It was sunhigh, Dawnpelt had carried her kits outside, to enjoy the fairly warm leaf-fall day. Littlecloud, who was carrying herbs back to his den, stopped to inspect her kits. He carefully put his herbs on the ground before speaking.

"They've not opened their eyes yet?" the old tom rasped curiously, before putting his paw on Flamekits head. "They aren't too warm, they should opened their eyes by now."

"Don't you think I know that?" Dawnpelt snapped impatiently. "I don't know what's wrong with them? I've been feeding them, grooming them but they just won't open their eyes."

"Can I play with them yet?" Ratkit chirped happily, climbing out of the Nursery to see what was going on.

Dawnpelt opened her mouth to tell the young kit where to put her paws, but Littlecloud answered instead.

"Just wait a short while Ratkit, I need to check Dawnpelt's kits. Could you do me a favour and keep Spiderkit company instead?"

"Oh. OK Littlecloud!" she mewed, before scampering off to see Spiderkit and Ivytail at the other side of the clearing.

"How do you do that?" Dawnpelt asked in disbelief.

"Hmm?" Littlecloud didn't look up from analysing Flamekits face closely. "Do what?"

"Get Ratkit to stop pestering you."

"Oh that's easy, just distract her or misdirect her." Littlecloud rasped his tongue over Flamekits eyelid, making the tiny tom let out a confused meow. Flamekit's eyelids began to twitch. Littlecloud let out an excited gasp.

"Look."

Within a few seconds, Flamekit slowly opened his eyes, they were blurry and he couldn't open them for very long, so the kit kept blinking. But his were a stunning, dark blue.

"Just like Flametail." Littlecloud breathed. Dawnpelt felt her chest fill with pride as she looked at him, but also great sadness as the grief for her brother still clouded her mind.

Shortly after Littlecloud and Dawnpelt got to work grooming Whitekit and Batkit. Batkit opened his eyes first, they were a deep amber colour, like a sunset. Dawnpelt let out a loud purr and rubbed her face against Batkit and Flamekit. Trying to force her negative feelings away.

"Three perfect kits, oh thank Starclan."

"Oh." Littlecloud mewed. Looking a Whitekit strangely, his ears flattened anxiously, and is tail rippled.

"Oh? What do you mean Oh? Did you hurt Whiteki-" Dawnpelt asked, grabbing Witekit and turning him to face her. Only to break off in shock.

Whitekits eyes weren't yellow. They weren't orange, they weren't blue or even green.

They were light pink, with small red pupils.

"Whats wrong with my kit?!" Dawnpelt wailed, catching the attention of nearby Warriors.

"I-I don't know. I've never seen a cat with those eyes before…" Littlecloud peered closely into Whitekit's eyes, before backing up uncertainly. "It must be a sign from Starclan, I will go to share-tongues with them at moonhigh."

Ratkit ran over, her cream and brown fur standing on end. She stared at Whitekit uncertainly, as the tiny tom tried to look at her. Instead of rejecting the tom though, her eyes softened as she looked at him.

"He's got pretty eyes. I've never seen that colour before." she commented, staring straight at them, before gently bumping noses with Whitekit. "There we go, moma always says touching noses makes cats better!"

"Get away from my kit!" Dawnpelt snarled, pulling Whitekit roughly towards her, making the white tom cry in fright. "All of you, stop staring at me, now!" she screeched out, hurriedly she grabbed Flamekit and Batkit by the scruff and put them in the Nursery, before grabbing Whitekit by his tail and putting him in too.

Blackstar padded over to Littlecloud, looking concerned.

"Dawnpelts kit, what's wrong with him?"

"Well.. It's eyes, I've never seen anything like it. Starclan must have sent us a sign."

"Well then. Travel to the Moonpool and speak with Starclan. I will try and get Dawnpelt away from Whitekit." Blackstar narrowed his eyes, looking serious. "A cat as unstable as her, needs to be watched constantly while with her… Defective kit."

"He's not defective papa." Ratkit spoke up. "He's a kit just like me, and Spiderkit."

Blackstar nodded patiently. "Well then, defective he isn't. But different he is. That is why Ratkit, we are going to separate Dawnpelt and Whitekit. You see him as another kit, but she might not. Ivytail will have to look after him for now."

Littlecloud cleared his throat. "I will go put these herbs away, the get ready for my travel to the Moonpool." he dipped his small head, before grabbing is plants and carrying them towards the medicine cat den.

Blackstar looked back down at his kit. "Well, lets get this over with." he mewed, before pushing his way through the bramble entrance to the Nursery.

"Dawnpelt…"


	34. Chapter 33 - Littlecloud 1

**4 Moons and 12 sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle**

Littlecloud gasped for air, as he finally reached the Moonpool. The old tom found the journey more and more difficult each moon, with his joints getting tired and stiff.

"I really need a new apprentice." he gasped, as he unevenly staggered down to the Moonpool, flopped down ungraciously, and lapped up some of the water, and let sleep claim his mind.

He opened his eyes, to find himself face-to-face with his old apprentice, Flametail. Next to him was the former Shadowclan deputy, Russetfur. The feisty she-cat looked a lot younger than she had been when she had been killed. Her fur was smooth and glossy, with no knots or tangles in it.

"It's so good to see you two." Littlecloud purred, stepping forward and rubbing his face alongside Flametail's cheek, then Russetfur's.

"It's good to see you too, old friend." she mewed, but her face still looked serious. "But you're here about Whitekit, not for a reunion."

"Yes, that's right. His pink eyes, what does that mean?"

The two ginger cats glanced at each other, then Flametail spoke up.

"It is a sign, if the Clans do not get new bloodlines introduced to the clans, more and more deformed kits will be born."

"Like Spiderkit?" Littlecloud asked, his eyes wide.

"Worse than Spiderkit." Russetfur finished, dipping her head.

"We don't want this to happen, but the Clans need to form together and trade bloodlines. Or it will end the Clans."

"A-are Starclan sending the message to all the Clans?" Littlecloud asked uncertainly. Flametail nodded.

"We must, they have to listen to us. Now go back to Shadowclan, back to Blackstar, and tell him the Clans need to work together again."

Without another word, the two ginger cats turned and padded away, leaving Littlecloud alone, until he woke up.

He quickly got himself to his paws, and started his descent from the Moonpool.

"We need to fix the Clans before it's too late!"


	35. Chapter 34 - Littlecloud, Leafpool

**5 Moons, 4 Sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

"You aren't listening to me!" Littlecloud snapped impatiently. He had been arguing with Blackstar, Rowanclaw and Nightshade all morning about his vision he had seen at the Moonpool. He had out it off for long enough. That cats should be brought in to renew bloodlines, as more and more kits are being born with deformities due to this. However, these cats couldn't wrap their brains over this. It'd been almost a half moon but they still ignored him.

"Because mating with other Clan cats is disloyal to the warrior code!" Rownclaw retorted, her dark ginger fur bristling. Littlecloud rolled his eyes as the she-cat kept on at him. Until eventually Blackstar spoke.

"If we are going to get technical, Rowanclaw. Tawnypelt was born in Thunderclan." His deputy whirled round, furious with the remark.

"Tawntpelt is a Shadowclan cat, through and through! How dare you imply otherwise!"

Littlecloud's ears pricked up, when it seemed that Blackstar was starting to see the argument from his point of view.

"But she was born in Thunderclan."

"And?"

"Her bloodline is different from our bloodline! Your kits, have no health problems." Blackstar nodded at Littlecloud. "Same with our daughter, Ratkit is a very healthy kit. But Nightshade is not Clan born. Which would be the most likely reason."

Rowanclaw just continued to glare.

"However, Littlecloud." Blackstar continued slowly. "How do you think the other Clans would react if we suggested this to them."

"Ah…" Littlecloud went quiet, he couldn't imagine them taking it well. "I'll speak to the other medicine cats about it at Halfmoon. I'll see what they say!"

Leafpool sat at the Thunderclan stream. Waiting patiently for Littlecloud. Jayfeather had gone on ahead, not wanting to be rained on, grumbling all the while. She couldn't help but think he was almost as scratchy as Yellowfang as he got older and older. The rain started to come down, gently splashing on the bridge of her nose.

She blinked her amber eyes, and narrowed them against the wind, and could make out the small, kitten like shape of Littlecloud in the dark. As he got closer, she saw him hesitate at the edge of the stream, before backing up, preparing to spring.

As she watched him leap, she felt her heart thud against her chest, as the little cat landed short, and smacked his chin against the bank. Leafpool quickly ran forward, and lifted the little cat out of the stream.

"Th-thanks Leafpool." He mewed, his teeth chattering in the cold.

"Your welcome Littlecloud!" she purred, and the two started to travel through the thick, leafy undergrowth. After a long time of walking in silence, Littlecloud finally found his voice.

"Leafpool?"

"Yes?"

"Have you noticed the rise of deformed kits?"

This made the she-cat hesitate. "I haven't seen them in Thunderclan, but I am aware of it. Why?"

Littlecloud let out a weary, tired sigh. "I spoke with Starclan a few sunrises ago. Russetfur and Flametail told me the lack of clear bloodlines, will make future generations worse and worse off than the last."

Leafpool didn't reply, she just ducked under a low hanging branch. "I see?"

"So, I think we should have some warriors move to other Clans."

Leafpool stopped in her tracks, and eyed him doubtfully. "Why?"

"It will renew bloodlines for generations!"

"It's against the Warrior Code." Leafpool replied evenly, turning around to continue their journey.

"That didn't stop you." Littlecloud muttered angrily. But notquietly enough for Leafpool to miss it. She just ignored him and continued the journey, moving faster, so the little tabby couldn't keep up.

Littlecloud hurried back to his territory as the moon sank in to the sky. The other medicine cats had simply ignored his vision. He lashed his tail furiously. If Jayfeather had that dream, every cat would have listened!

He continued to shake his head as he walked. He'd just have to try and match suitable blood lines in his own Clan.


	36. Chapter 35 - Briarlight

**5 Moons since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Briarlight broke into another coughing fit, her sides heaving. Next to her, Purdy was lay, his flanks barely moving. Greencough had struck Thunderclan again. It had already claimed Daisy's kit, Mallowkit, and now it seemed to have hit herself, Purdy and her father, Graystripe.

Graystripe let out a tired groan, before forcing himself to his paws, before flopping down in his daughters nest, leaning forward to speak to her.

"You're going to be okay. I'm feeling a bit better." he mewed tiredly, before letting out a wheezy cough. "I think I'll be back in the elders den at dawn, if Jayfeather comes back and gives me some Catnip."

"That's great papa." Briarlight purred, before letting out a sneeze, a long slimy bit of mucus dripping from her nose. She quickly wiped it away.

"But how are you? Do you need anything to eat? Drink?" the older gray tom mewed, looking concerned. "I know I'm being an old worrying badger, but you are my daughter."

"I'm fine." Briarlight wheezed, trying hard not to cough anything up. "You just. Go back to your own nest. I'll just sleep here."

Graystripe licked her cheek. "Okay, this old mouse is going back into his burrow." he let out a tired purr, before breaking off into another coughing fit. He flopped down, and closed his tired amber eyes.

Briarlight looked around the den. Leafpool and Jayfeather still weren't back. Sighing, she dragged herself to the herb storage, her lungs feeling like they were on fire. After searching through the shelves slowly, she came across some burnet. She let out a tired purr, and dragged herself back to the nests. She pushed some in front of Purdy and Graystripe, before eating the rest for herself.

"That'll keep our strength up." she thought to herself, before laying herself down in her nest, and sinking into sleep.

Briarlight woke up to a horrible smell, gagging she whipped her head around to stare around the den, wondering there the smell had come from. She stared in horror, as she saw Leafpool and Graystripe carry a very stiff and foul-smelling Purdy out of the den. She let out a dull cry, noticing the pile of burnet that was untouched. Jayfeather approached her, his tail dragging across the den floor.

"He's gone and joined Starclan now." he sighed, giving his pelt a shake.

"I thought he'd eat, I put the burnet out." She sobbed, before breaking in to another coughing fit.

"He was very, very, _very_ old. Jayfeather pointed out reluctantly. "When Bramblestar and Squirrelflight first met him, he was practically an elder. You should be glad, he's had a long life." He sighed, and pushed some catnip towards her. "Here. Purdy doesn't need his share now." Without another word, he picked up some lavender and padded out to the clearing.

Briarlight lay in her nest, alone. Watching cats leave the elders and warriors den to see what was going on. He watched them, one by one. Keeping away from the den, afraid of getting sick. Sighing she closed her eyes, and after a while her breathing slowed, to the point it seemed her flanks weren't moving at all as she slipped in to a dream.

Briarlight got up, and realized something – she had actually gotten up! On all her paws, she spun around to make sure, before it dawned on her that she must be dreaming, and her excitement ebbed away. She was in a small, sunny clearing. Large and colourful herbs and flowers blooming all around her. Struggling to remember how to walk on four legs again, she slowly lurched towards all the plants, purring happily.

She started to look at them, only to hear paw steps approach her. She turned around, to see a silver tabby cat with deep blue eyes watching her.

"H-hello?" Briarlight mewed uncertainly. The she-cat let put a loud purr.

"So you're Briarlight." She smiled at her. "I'm happy to meet you at least. I've been watching you."

Briarlight didn't quite know how to respond to that, so she just stared blankly. The tabby chuckled.

"Sorry, that did come off a bit creepy. Didn't it? I'm Silverstream." She mewed. Briarlight's ears pricked up in shock. "Yes I know, I am that Silverstream. The one who died kitting Graystripe's kits. I know, I know. It must be weird to think about?" she asked.

"Well.. Yeah. If you had lived, I wouldn't have-" Briarlight broke off, feeling awkward. Silverstream padded forward and licked the top of her head.

"You were always meant to be born Briarlight. Starclan wouldn't have given you life, if they hadn't wished it." She replied quietly. Briarlight drank in her scent, it smelt like freshly soaked moss. She pulled away.

"Why… Why have you come to visit me then?" she asked.

"Briarlight." Silverstream looked at her, her expression grim. Briarlight felt her heart turn in to a ball of ice.

"No! I can't die! My family needs me!" she wailed, as Silverstream watched her, her blue eyes clouding with emotion. "Larkkit and Shrewkit, I promised to give them a ride across camp on my back. And Millie…"

Silverstream's expression didn't change, until she spoke quietly.

"Briarlight, you have had a harsh life. More so than the average warrior. That is why Starclan has decided to offer you a second chance at life." She mewed solemnly. Briarlight looked confused.

"A second chance?.. Like extra lives?"

"No! No. We're offering you to be reborn as a kit in a different Clan." Silverstream explained. "Your spirit would be inside that cat until it leaves for Starclan. We don't make these decisions lightly, the choice is yours."

Briarlight stood, pondering about this. Sure, she'd love to be a real warrior again. But what if this cat doesn't want to be a warrior, but a medicine cat? Why would a cat have to do what she wants for her own gain? What if she had to fight Thunderclan? What if..?

"I-I decline the offer." She stuttered, she didn't sound enthusiastic, but she held her gaze with Silverstream confidently. "If I took over the life of another cat, it wouldn't be their life. That wouldn't be fair." The silver tabby dipped her head.

"Very well, we must leave for Starclan now." She mewed, and started to pad along the grassy trail, that got steeper and steeper to climb, with stars studding it's path.


	37. Chapter 36 - Brightheart, Amberpaw

**5 and a half Moons after the Dark Forest Battle**

Brightheart stared up at the Highledge, waiting patiently. She had woken up fairly early, and left her kits sleeping in the nursery. She had spent all night thinking this over with Cloudtail, and they hadn't made this decision lightly. She let out a small sigh, watching the cold air cloud as it faded away. She fluffed up her fur. It was Leafbare, and the Clan was already full of sniffling sick cats. There hadn't been any snow so far, but it was only a matter of time before the prey took shelter.  
Brightheart spotted a slight movement at the entrance of the leaders den. She watched closely, and let out a purr as Bramblestar emerged. The Thunderclan leader looked as strong as ever, though his eyes looked a little bit watery – the start of whitecough perhaps? She raised her tail in greeting to him. Bramblestar dipped his head at the queen.  
"Brightheart." He mewed, his watery eyes looking slightly unfocused.

"You're up early, you trying to schedule a dawn patrol?" he let out an amused purr. Brightheart purred back, before shaking her head.  
"Actually no, I'm not taking Squirrelflight's duties, I don't want my other eye removed! Ha, I wanted to speak with you two though, about my kits…" she broke off, not sure what to say next. The dark tabby twitched his right ear.  
"Sure, climb on up. I'll just wake Squirrelflight, otherwise she'll snore through the meeting."

~~~  
Brightheart let out a gasp, as she heaved herself up onto the Highledge.  
"Now I know how these two stay skinny." She muttered, giving her pelt a shake, before pushing her way through the dens lichen. Bramblestar was sat looking expectantly at her, while Squirrelflight let out a tired yawn, before sitting up, blinking the sleep out of her green eyes.  
"I wanted to speak to you about my kits. As you've noticed, there are four queens currently in the Nursery, all with kits."  
Bramblestar nodded his head once. "Thunderclan is blessed with so many healthy kits."  
"Well yes, but there is very little room for all of us. My kits are a lot bigger than the others, they often wake the other kits up, standing on them when trying to go to the dirt place."  
"So what do you want us to do, try and enlarge the Nursery?" Squirrelflight asked, looking confused.  
"No… I was asking if you could make my kits apprentices already."  
Bramblestar instantly shook his head. "No. They aren't six moons." Squirrelflight twitched her ears in agreement.  
"They are five and a quarter. You're missing the point, make them apprentices now. We'll have more room for the other nursing queens, and my kits will sleep in the apprentice den, not hurting the other kits."  
Bramblestar still didn't look convinced. ""We have the warrior code for a reason, Brightheart. If we didn't follow it, we'd be no better than-"  
"Tigerstar or Brokentail. I know, you are right. But I'm not asking you to make a kit army and take over Windclan. I'm asking you to do this for me, for Cloudtail. Once my kits are apprenticed, he will stop trying to help in the Clan and end up getting hurt. I'll be able to help Jayfeather and Leafpool with curing whitecough. They'll be fine Warriors, just-"  
"I'll need to speak with my deputy first." Bramblestar replied, cutting in. "Wait outside, near the cliff face. We'll be a moment."  
Brightheart dipped her head, and padded outside the den to wait. Her eyesight might not be strong, but her hearing was, even outside the den she could hear them arguing.  
"Bramblestar you can't be seriously considering this?" Squirrelflight asked.  
"She has some valid points." Bramblestar replied calmly. "I've had complaints from Daisy already about the lack of room in the den."  
"But Firestar would never have apprenticed a kit under aged!" she hissed, sounding indignant.  
"Well.. I'm not Firestar. I'm Bramblestar. I have to lead my Clan the way I think will be best. Not the way he would have run things. I've made my decision Squirrelflight. I'm sorry you don't agree with me, but we can't agree on everything, can we?" Brighteart jumped as she heard the lichen move, quickly pointing her battle-torn ears forward.  
"We will make your kits apprentices. Go get them ready, I will go speak to their future mentors."  
Brightheart let out a happy purr, and clambered down the cliff face in a hurry, tripping and hitting her face on the ground, before getting back up and entering the Nursery.

~~~  
"Amberkit, from this moment on, until you get your warrior name, you will be known as Amberpaw." Amberpaw jumped up in excitement, her gray and white fur fluffed up. Before realising she had interrupted the ceremony, and quickly stood still again, her ears flattened with embarrassment. Bramblestars eyes glinted with amusement, before speaking again.  
"Icecloud you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Whitewing, and you have shown yourself to be a fast hunter, and a smart fighter. I expect you to pass on all your knowledge to your apprentice. "  
Amberpaw quickly got up, and eagerly padded up to her new mentor, and touched noses with her. Amberpaw felt like she had been struck by lightning once she touched noses with the white she-cat. She stared into Icecloud's bright blue eyes, and felt… Confused? Happy? She wasn't sure. She stopped touching noses, and padded to the edge of the Warriors and sat down, as the Clan called her and her brothers names.  
"Amberpaw, Snowpaw, Dewpaw!" Amberpaw forced herself to look excited, unable to understand why she suddenly felt so odd. She glanced at her brothers, both sat with their mentors, and reflected what good choices they were.  
Snowpaw had been given to Ivypool. The quiet silver-and-white tabby was quiet for the most part, unless angered. Similar to her brother. While Dewpaw was sat with Rosepetal. Both cats were easily excitable and energetic. But why was she given to Icecloud then? Icecloud was quiet, kept to herself and didn't have many friends. Whilst she was loud, chatty and had many friends, with the other kits and Molepaw.  
" _I guess Bramblestar wants me to be more mature? Maybe?"_ she wondered to herself. As Icecloud got to her paws.

"Come on then, first task as an apprentice shall be checking the elders for ticks."

"But…" Amberpaw broke off and stared at her paws. As she heard Rosepetal and Ivypool call to her siblings. "Come on you two, let's go on a tour of the territory."

"You'll go on a tour tomorrow, but for now you can help Seedpaw and Lilypaw with the elders. Don't seem too disappointed, they'll love telling you stories." with that the white cat padded away. Amberpaw narrowed her eyes at her mentor behind her back. " _It's like she doesn't even want an apprentice!"_


	38. Chapter 37 - Mousewhisker

**5 Moons since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Mousewhisker watched the lake, and how it gently lapped against the bank, as the sun was rising above the trees. He let out a small, thoughtful sigh.

" _If you had asked me as a kit would I ever want to be a Riverclan I'd have laughed. But now? I can't stop thinking about Riverclan._ _About Minnowtail and my kits._ " He mused wistfully. His green gaze traveled along, until he saw Riverclan's territory. His heart longed to go see her, but he knew there would be punishments for having a relationship with a cat in the wrong Clan. Dovewing had gotten off lightly, she was banned from gatherings until her kits were apprentices. Mousewhisker was one of the few who felt some sympathy for her.

No one plans to fall in love with a cat you shouldn't. If you could, it wouldn't happen would it?

Minnowtail was everything he wanted in a mate. Strong, intelligent, and loving. He especially loved her fluffy kit-like fur on her belly. He would cuddle up to her all day if he could get away with it.

Mousewhiskers paws itched, and he stood up, still staring across the lake. He tensed, getting ready to swim. He crouched, wiggling his tail-

"Mousewhisker!" Icecloud's concerned mew made him jump, and spin around quickly. He begged Starclan she hadn't seen him, as she crashed through the ferns. He blinked in surprise. His best friend was never usually so energetic, or loud.

"Have you seen Goldenkit anywhere?" she asked urgently. Puzzled, Mousewhisker shook his head.

"Oh no, oh no. Sandstorm is going to become as hectic as a fox in a fit! He's gone missing!" Icecloud whirled around, inhaling the air deeply. "Please, we need to find him! Amberpaw is checking near the Sky Oak"

"Alright." Mousewhisker shook his fur out. "Where did you lose his scent?"

"Ah.. Follow me." Icecloud mewed, diving in to the trees, with Mousewhisker running right behind her. His large paws churning up dead leaves as he ran. They leapt over a fallen tree, and Mousewhisker ignored the branches snagging on his long fluffy pelt. Icecloud was fast, and he found he couldn't run beside her.

The white she-cat skidded to a halt in a small clearing, Mousewhisker let out a yelp, and tried to stop, however the slippery leaves made him go skidding and crash in to a large tree trunk. He let out a groan, and forced himself to his paws, shaking his head. Icecloud had looked away, her whiskers twitching. Mousewhisker tasted the air carefully. He could smell the young kit's scent. Though it was stale. He padded around the clearing, carefully looking at every leaf, twig and stone. He noticed just outside the clearing, a small muddy puddle. He padded over, and nodded triumphantly. The kit had ran through it, and was leaving dirty paw prints. He flicked his big bushy tail at Icecloud, and the two kept creeping along, carefully testing the air.

Mousewhisker blinked, realizing they were heading closer and closer to Shadowclan territory. He glanced at Icecloud, and his thoughts seemed to be reflected in her blue eyes. They kept going, hoping the scent would suddenly change directions, but Mousewhisker's heart became heavy as they approached the clearing. The muddy paws had stopped leaving prints a while ago, and the kit's scent had become mixed with the scent of the fast flowing water.

"Goldenkit!" Mousewhisker called, with Icecloud joining in. Mousewhisker approached the stream, and felt his heart sink. There was no sign of him, except a small tuft of grass, slightly dug up, as if a cat had clung on…

"Found anything?" Icecloud asked, walking over, Mousewhisker quickly spun around, and puffed his fur up so she couldn't see what he had.

"N-no.. I'll go check further down the stream, you best go search up stream. He could have wandered anywhere." Icecloud nodded, not suspecting a thing as she dashed away. Mousewhiker let out a small groan as he clambered in to the stream, trying to catch the kits scent as he travelled downstream. He kept himself low down, even though he wasn't enjoying the feeling of cold water touching his belly.

The more he went down the stream in to a dip, the rougher the water became, shoving him along. Desperately he tried to keep his head aloft as he inhaled, and his ears pricked up. He could smell Goldenkit, and it was recent! He forced himself to wade along, trying not to lose the scent, only to stop to a halt when he smelled something else. He checked the air again quickly, and it confirmed his fears: Shadowclan.

He climbed out of the stream in to Shadowclan territory. Shaking out if his fur, and shuddering as his wet fur lay down on his skin. He checked the scent, it seemed to be one cat was with Goldenpaw, and they had been here recently. He followed the scent in to the marshes, wincing as his paws became caked in mud. Though he kept his ears pricked, and tried not to make any noise as he squelched through the muddy ground. Knowing that he'd be heard easily, he quickly grabbed a hold of a pine tree, and clambered up the smooth bark with ease. Once he stood on a large, sturdy branch and began to follow the trail Dark0Forest training finally proving useful.

Two sets of paws were in the mud, smaller kit sized paws and larger paws. As he followed, he heard Goldenkit let out a shriek. Mousewhisker unsheathed his claws, and raced along the branches, dodging low hanging branches until he saw he was above Goldenkit. In front of him was…. Littlecloud? That was the medicine cat of Shadowclan… Still, had to save Goldenkit, he leapt from the tree, snarling. Littlecloud spun around, visibly shocked at the large gray and white tom landed on him roughly. Littlecloud gasped for air, and realising how old the medicine cat was, Mousewhisker quickly got off of him, but turned to Goldenkit.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed. Goldenkit looked dismayed.

"I-I wanted to find my friend." He stammered nervously. Mousewhisker just looked confused.

"Friend?" he echoed. Littlecloud cleared his throat.

"He was looking for Tigerheart" Littlecloud explained. "I was trying to explain to him that while Tigerheart is happy to have a friend in Thunderclan, he has to leave him alone."

"If that's the case, why is he in Shadowclan territory?" Mousewhisker retorted.

"I fell in the stream. Littlecloud fished me out and carried me with him to find… uh…"

"Chamomile." Littlecloud finished. "It calms cats."

"Alright, well thank you Littlecloud." Mousewhisker dipped his head respectfully, trying to not let his chin fur dip in the mud. "But I'll be taking _Trouble_ kit home now." He grumbled, getting up and catching Goldenkit by the scruff.

"I'm not Troublekit! I'm _Golden_ kit!" the little kit retorted hotly. Before glancing back at Littlecloud and waving his tail. "Bye Littlecloud! May Starclan light your path!" he called, before looking back in the direction he was being carried.

"I'll explain to Blackstar what has happened, so they won't think you are invading." He mewed to them, before disappearing in to the marsh land.

Mousewhisker got to the stream, and leapt across effortlessly, though Goldenkit's rump hit the floor, and he let out a small wail.

"That hurt!" he grumbled. Mousewhisker just rolled his eyes but kept walking. Luckily Goldenkit quickly forgot about that issue.

"Wow, look at that butterfly! It's white! I've only seen yellow ones!" Goldenkit mewed happily, trying to reach it with his paw, before quickly becoming distracted by a mouse that scuttled past. "Look Mousewhisker! Did you seen the mouse!? Can we catch it? … Whoa look at that tree, it's silver! I like silver it's a cool colour…"

While Goldenkit chattered happily at everything around him, Mousewhisker started to think about his family. What if his kits tried to run away, and something happened? He'd never know! What if Minnowtail had no other cat to watch the kits while she went for a stroll? What if they drowned because no one watched them? _What if…?_

Deep in worried thought, he was outside the Thunderclan camp as he stumbled through the barrier. Most cats were looking at him, and once they saw Goldenkit they all rushed towards him, making a fuss over him. Mousewhisker watched his whiskers twitching with amusement and fear as Sandstorm angrily shoved her way forward to get to her kit. He had never seen the pale ginger she-cat so angry…

"Where have you been?!" she snarled. Goldenkit stopped chewing a piece of moss, and quickly spat it out. Her voice softened as she spoke to Mousewhisker. "Thank you for finding him in one piece Mousewhisker. What would we do without you?." She mewed calmly, before glaring down at her kit "Barely a scent trail! I don't know how in Starclan you managed that one! You just had gone! What if you had been seen my a hawk? You could have been killed! You reek of Shadowclan, Starclan forbid anything could have happened to you." She nodded at Mousewhisker. "I don't blame you Mousewhisker, go groom your paws. While I teach this kit a lesson" the gray and white tom quickly nodded, and padded away to groom all the mud out of his pelt. Ignoring the angry shouts of Sandstorm – and the other queens as they disciplined the naughty little tom.

"Finally clean." He grumbled to himself, as he gazed up at the sky. It was Sunhigh. The patrols were just leaving. He looked at the Nursery, he could see his mother Daisy sunning her belly with Creamkit asleep on it.

Mousewhisker watched for a while, and felt his heart ache. He knew what he had to do. He approached the cliff face, and clambered up to the Highledge. He lingered outside the den, not wanting to intrude.

"Come in." Bramblestar called. Mousewhisker pushed his head through the lichen, relieved to see just Bramblestar in his nest. The large tabby nodded at him as Mousewhisker sat down.

"Thank you for finding Goldenkit. Sandstorm was a mouse length away from exploding." Bramblestar explained, before sitting up a little straighter. "But that's not what you are here for is it?"

"No." He replied, staring at the den floor.

"I can't help you if you don't speak to me." Bramblestar mewed, lowering his head and resting it on his front paws.

"I-I'm leaving Thunderclan!" he blurted out quickly. Brmablestar's head shot back up, and looked at him closely. As if not sure what he heard. "I wish to leave Thunderclan." he forced himself the mew slowly.

"Why? Are cats still mad you for the training in the Dark Forest?" he asked, anger edging his mew.

"No, nothing like that." Mousewhisker explained. " _Though meeting Minnowtail there helped our relationship blossom."_

"Then what?" he asked, sounding baffled.

"I have a mate and two kits in Riverclan. I don't want to father them from afar, or fight them. I love them too much. Even though I know I've not met them yet." He mewed, forcing himself to look Bramblestar in the eye. His leader just looked stunned and somewhat disappointed, before he straightened up.

"I know that with what's happened with Dovewing, what I said was probably the last thing you wanted to here. I broke the code, it was wrong. But I don't regret making those kits. I don't regret finding love."

Bramblestar let out a sigh, and tiredly drew a paw over his face.

"If that is really what you want, I'll call a Clan meeting, you can announce it to your friends and family yourself." He replied, his voice and expression unreadable.

"I'd ask you to stay, but I think we both know you couldn't do it to yourself." As Mousewhisker turned to leave, Bramblestar called out "You've been a good warrior to our clan Mousewhisker, ever since you were brought here as a kit. I hope Starclan watches out for you."

As Mousewhisker clambered down the ledge, stones flying everywhere as he half climbed, half skidded down, Bramblestar stood on the Highledge and called out "All cats old enough to catch prey, come together under the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Cats streamed out, looking confused why Mousewhisker was under the ledge. He didn't look any of them in the eye directly. He waited until Daisy was sat down before speaking.

"Cats of Thunderclan. I couldn't of asked for a better Clan to serve… But I'm leaving, to become a Riverclan warrior." He paused at the confused cries of his friends, he looked as Daisy. She looked devastated, it broke his heart, but he knew if he didn't look after his kits, he'd never forgive himself. "I have a mate and kits in Riverclan, and I wish to spend my days looking after my kits." He finished, bowing his head and getting to his paws, not looking at any of them. But his brother and sister Berrynose and Hazeltail ran forward through the crowd.

"You can't be serious brother!" Berrynose hissed in disbelief, his cream fur ruffled in annoyance. "A Riverclan cat?! Do you have bees in your brain?"

"No bees, just my lovely mate Minnowtail." he replied evenly, watching his brothers expression change slightly.

"Well I mean, OK, Minnowtail's got it going on, with her cute- Ow!" Berrynose exclaimed as Hazeltail cuffed him around the ear. Mousewshisker rolled his eyes. If Poppyfrost heard that, who knows what would have happened.

"But leaving your clan!" Hazeltail exclaimed, stepping towards her brother. "Mousewhisker you can't be serious."

"I am. My kits are over there. I can't be apart from them." he sighed and closed his eyes, his face pained. "This was the hardest choice I've ever had to make. Don't you two see that?" the two siblings glanced at each other, before a quiet voice spoke up.

"I see that." Hazeltail quickly stepped aside as Daisy padded past her up to him, her blue eyes round and sad.

"Ma?" Berrynose asked, looking surprised.

"When I came to the clans with you two, I didn't come here to join the Clans. I came because I didn't want the Nofur's to take you three away from me. So I ended up here, I wasn't well liked at all. You all remember I took you all back with me to the Horseplace after the badger attack. But you complained, you all wanted to go back to Thunderclan. When Cloudtail and Bramblestar showed up I knew I had push my selfishness aside and put my lovely kits first. That's what a parent does." she said, pushing forward and rubbing her face against Mousewhiskers gently. "I will miss you so much Mouse. But you should always put your kin first." she looked at him, her icy blue eyes raw with emotion. "Teach them not being a full clan cat is nothing to be ashamed of. Promise me that"

"I will Daisy." Mousewhisker purred. "They'll never be ashamed of who they are." He blinked, noticing Spiderleg lurking behind his siblings and mother, he beckoned him over with a swish of his tail. Daisy frowned slightly as the skinny black tom approached, and refused to look him in the eye as Spiderleg sheepishly smiled at her.

"You were my first apprentice Mousewhisker, and honestly I couldn't have asked for a better one. You always wanted to learn more and train harder. I don't approve of what you've done. Especially with the Dark Forest. But If Starclan hadn't wanted this to happen, you wouldn't have done it." was all Spiderleg said, before slowly padding away.

Mousewhisker swallowed, feeling choked up as he looked at them all, even his clan mates who were sneakily watching him.

"I'll never forget the journeys we've all shared. But I have to go now. See you all at the Gatherings some time."

Mousewhisker forced himself to swim through the cold lake water, ignoring how his heavy pelt was dragging him down. Until he was at the Greenleaf Twoleg Place. He sat on the weird smooth wood, and waited for the dusk patrol.

He didn't have to wait long, as a patrol containing Littlefeather, Reedwhisker, Honeypelt emerged. Instantly the two warriors unsheathed their claws and growled. However Reedwhisker waved his tail at them, when Mousewhisker didn't try to attack the patrol.

"Hello… Mousewhisker isn't it?" He asked coolly, standing in front of him, his gray eyes glinting. "What are you doing near Riverclan territory?"

"I am here to join Riverclan as a loyal warrior." He replied, holding eye contact. The skinny black tom blinked, surprised. He visibly hesitated, before gesturing his patrol with his tail "Search for any other cats." As the two left, Reedwhisker eyed him thoroughly.

"You're wet?"

"I swam here, to prove I was serious." Mousewhisker mewed.

"Impressive. You taught yourself?" he checked, Mousewhisker hesitated.

"Well… No, I was taught." He replied, feeling very self conscious, he knew Minnowtail could be in serious trouble.

"Are you going to tell me who?" Reedwhisker asked, as his patrol returned shaking their heads.

"I… Will once I'm escorted to your camp." Reedwhisker narrowed his eyes, before sighing and nodding.

"Fine, but if you do anything…" he warned as the patrol led the way to camp. Mousewhisker looked around, taking as much in as possible. There weren't many trees, except the ones near the Thunderpath. There were plenty of streams though, then again of course there were, Riverclan were fish eaters after all. He wrinkled his nose at the thought. The things he's going to go through, for love.

They entered the camp, it was surrounded by a few thick oak and smooth willow trees, nearby was a stream. He blinked, the nests were neatly woven with willow branches, and held together with mud and clay. The nursery was similar, except larger, with reeds surrounding it, and rocks and shells covering the top. He blinked, as Mistystar appeared from her den, next to Reedwhisker. The she-cat nodded at him.

"Welcome to Riverclan Mousewhisker" she began, her expression much friendlier than he expected. "You want to be a Riverclan warrior, correct?"

"I… Yes." As he spoke, more and more Riverclan cats slinked out of their den to look at the newcomer. Minnowtail emerged from the Nursery, and Mousewhisker tried to look at her, however her amber gaze gave nothing away. He looked back at Mistystar, who was studying him carefully. He felt very self-conscious, as she spoke.

"I'd like to talk to you in private, with me, Reedwhisker, and… Minnowtail." She remarked, turning around and entered her den. Mousewhisker felt a knot of dread in his stomach as he followed her and sat down, not looking at Minnowtail this time. Once all the cats were sat down, Mistystar began.

"I know why you want to join Riverclan. Minnowtail has had your kits, correct?" Mousewhisker froze in shock, and so did Minnowtail. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice you sneaking away from the camp at night? Or how one of your kits look so much like this cat stood before me?"

"I-I'm sorry Mistystar! I didn't mean to be disloyal, I just…"

"It's alright. You aren't being punished for this." She replied, both cats stared at her, as did Reedwhisker. "You may not know this, but I am Half-Clan. I was nearly slaughtered for it too, by Darkstripe…" she shook her head at the memory. "What I'm saying is, yes you have broken the code. But now Riverclan has some healthy, strong kits, and a father who is willing to live by our rules. I can't imagine it was an easy decision, was it?"

Mousewhisker shook his head, feeling dazed.

"Well then, Reedwhisker, you are in charge of him. Teach Mousewhisker everything he'll need to know about Riverclan. How we hunt, fight, swim and the borders. It should only take a half moon."

"Yes ma'" Reedwhisker mewed, nudging the large tom. "Come on then, and by the way? Welcome to Riverclan!"


	39. Chapter 38 - Ivytail

**6 and a half moons since the Dark Forest Battle.**

"Hold still now." Ivytail murmured quietly, before chewing careful on a knot in Whitekit's fur. It had been almost two moons since Blackstar and Littlecloud gave her Whitekit to raise. To keep him safe from Dawnpelt, as the cream she-cat seemingly lost more and more of her sanity each moon. She had lashed out at Blackstar when he approached her about Whitekit being raised elsewhere, and she had gone downhill from there. She was still allowed to stay in the Nursery with her other two sons, but she had to sleep at the other end, far away from Nightshade and Ivytail. She was also placed under strict supervision by her own Clanmates, in case she tried to lash out at Flamekit or Batkit.

On one hand, Ivytail had no pity for Dawnpelt. The nasty she-cat had it coming. But Ivytail could see that Dawnpelt was mentally disturbed. " _I don't think she ever got over Flametail's death_." She let out a sigh, before letting go of Whitekit and smiling at him.

"All clean!"

The lanky white kit let out a rumbling purr and rubbed his face against Ivytail.

"Thanks Ivytail." The white tom tried to focus his misty, light pink eyes on her, and grinned, showing his small sharp teeth that had been growing through. With a pang Ivytail noticed he had stopped calling him "Mama" or "mother." As Flamekit had told his brother that he used to be in the same litter. It had taken a long time of careful explaining with Littlecloud's help, to explain why he was her kit now. Whitekit hadn't brought up the subject since, but Ivytail knew it must worry him. Next to her, Spiderkit stirred from his mid-day nap, and glanced over at his adoptive sibling. Warmth in the dark tabbies gaze.

"Whitekit! Want to play Pinecone Ball with me?" he asked while getting up, his two noses twitching with excitement.

"Yeah!" Whitekit burst out, before stopping, and seemingly shyly moved a pine needle with his front paw. "Can we go get Ratkit to play too?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Ivytail and Spiderkit let out an amused purr, and gave each other a knowing look.

"Sure! Whitekit, come on!" Spiderkit and Whitekit raced across the camp clearing, skidding past the elders Tallpoppy and Kinkfur, and leaping over Oakfur's skinny frame as they charged into the Nursery, going out of sight for a moment. Barely a moment later, angry kit voices could be heard.

"Ratkit doesn't want to play with you! She was playing tag with me!" Flamekit's yowl could be heard clearly from the other end of camp. Ivytail got to her paws and padded past the Elders, wanting to stop any fight before it got out of hand.

"We can all play together, if you want to." Ratkit began, sounding annoyed with the ginger tom. Batkit, wordless as always, nodded in agreement.

"I don't want to play with them though, they stink like fox-dung!" Flamekit muttered.

Ivytail peered into the Nursery entrance. Whitekit and Flamekit were stood head to head, their fur standing on end and claws unsheathed. Spiderkit was stood in between them, constantly checking their expressions, knowing all it could take was a leaf to fall for this to spiral out of control. Ratkit and Batkit were just behind Flamekit, looking very uncomfortable. Ivytail went to reach into the Nursery, but stopped herself.

"My kits have to learn to stand up for themselves… But if a fight does break out, I will stop it." Ivytail peered into the gloom, and noticed Dawnpelt nor Nightshade were in the Nursery, and with a quick glance around, it appeared they weren't in camp either. "Odd. I can smell their scent fresh. With Crowfrost." Ivytail dragged her thoughts back to the problem at hand.

"Come on Whitekit, we can just play by ourselves for now." Spiderkit urged his brother, taking a step closer.

"But, Ratki-" Whitekit began, only for Flamekit to cut him off.

"Doesn't want to play with you, Weird-eyes. Or you either you two-nosed mouse!"

Ivytail's eyes widened as she watched what happened next. Ratkit and Batkit dived for the ginger tom, and pummelled him with their small paws and sharp claws. Ratkit was relentless, even tearing out the ginger tom's fur as he screamed and tried to scramble away. Spiderkit and Whitekit backed up, their fur fluffed out in shock as they watched.

"Don't you dare be horrible to your Clan mates!" Ratkit snarled, before grabbing Flamekits scruff in her teeth, and ramming his face into the dirt and pine bedding. "Blackstar told me a true warrior respects his or her equals, and is loyal to their den mates. " she pushed down harder, meeting no resistance from Flamekit, as Batkit carefully got off his sibling. "I'm so sick of everything always ending in a fight with you and Whitekit. If you ever be horrible to him again when I'm around… Well I'm sure my father would agree you can stay in the Nursery for an extra moon!"

"No! Please, Ratkit! I'm sorry!" Flamekit begged, his dark blue eyes wide with fear at the thought of being held back. "I-i'll play with those mousebrains! I'll do anything you want, please!"

Looking satisfied, the brown and cream she-cat let Flamekit up, who scrambled to his paws, looking upset with himself. Ratkit smiled at Whitekit and Spiderkit, before waving her tail at Batkit, gesturing for the small big-eared black tom to join them. Ivytail started to back up away from the entrance, careful not to let the kits know she had heard them. She strained her ears to listen as she crept further and further away.

"Good. Oh and Flamekit?" Ratkit added, turning to glance at him. The small defeated tom sat up straight and blinked at her. "I don't think Dawnpelt needs to know about this."

Flamekit lowered his gaze and didn't respond. Shortly after Ratkit jumped out the entrance, and headed towards the Elders. Whitekit and Spiderkit followed. The two toms looking dazed at what had happened. But in Whitekit's eyes shone something else too. Admiration for the she-kit. Last out was Batkit and Flamekit. Flamekit padded after the others, his tail held so low, it dragged on the ground. Batkit padded to the fresh-kill pile, grabbed a mouse and followed after the rest of them.

Hearing rustling at the entrance to camp, Ivytail turned her head. Crowfrost had walked back into camp, his fur bristling on end and a patch of fur missing. Right behind walked Dawnpelt, she looked furious too, with blood dripping from her lip. Ivytail padded over to them, concerned.

"What happened? Rogues? Those kittypets? A border patrol?" she guessed, only for Dawnpelt to stalk right past her, and storm into the Nursery, blocking everything out from around her. Ivytail turned to Crowfrost, and narrowed her eyes at him. "Well Crowfrost?"

The black and white tom let out a tired sigh, and stared at the ground.

"We aren't mates anymore."

Ivytail blinked, surprise showing in her amber eyes, before she could ask why, he continued.

"I tried to speak with her. Telling her she had changed. She wasn't my Dawn of light anymore. How she's been raising Flamekit… She just got angry, I tried to calm her down. But I told her we couldn't be mates if this continued. So she… Hit me." He whispered the last two words. "I was in shock, so I swung back, out of reflex, and I cut her lip. I never meant to.." He let out a sigh, hearing an excited squeal from the kits over near the Elders, he looked up and stared at them.

"I may not be mates with Dawnpelt anymore, but Starclan be willing, I'm going to try and be the best father I can be. To all of them." he paused and looked at Ivytail. "Including Whitekit, if you give me permission.." Ivytail licked the black and white toms' ear gently.

"Of course, I'm sure Whitekit would like that." Crowfrost smiled weakly at her, before letting out a sigh and padding past her. "I'm going to get some rest. But thank you for looking after my son for me. I never did thank you. I'm just sorry it had to come to that." without another word, Crowfrost slowly walked towards the Warriors den, stopping briefly to talk to Ferretclaw, before pushing his way back in the den.

Ivytail felt sorry for him. She knew he had always had a crush on Dawnpelt, only for it to end up a mess. She shook her head sadly. Before padding towards the Nursery, and peering in. Dawnpelt was sat, in the far corner of the den. Her back turned. Ivytail finally noticed how gaunt she looked. Her cream fur practically hung off of her.

"Dawnpelt?" she spoke into the silence, but the cream cat didn't move. "Dawnpelt, I don't know what you're feeling, but please. Talk to us. Talk to me, talk to Tigerheart, or even Tawnypelt. Please, you're not well." Dawnpelt didn't react. All she did was lie in her nest.

Ivytails pelt prickled as she stared at her. "I'll come back later, but someone needs to watch the kits." she backed out. Before looking back in and staring at her again. "I'm sorry it had to come to all this."

Still no response. Ivytail sighed to herself, and padded towards the Elders den. She could hear Kinkfurs rasped mew as the older she-cat told the story of "The badger and the Fox."


	40. Chapter 39 - Batkit

**6 Moons and 3 Quarter moons after the Dark Forest Battle.**

"Ma? Ma?"

Batkit woke from his sleep, he sighed and stretched, before shaking the moss from his short fur. Flamekit was sat up, prodding his mother Dawnpelt, with his paw.

"Mom, can I go play outside with Ratkit?" Flamekit asked Dawnpelt. Batkit rolled his eyes behind his brothers back. " _He's so obsessed with her. Why?"_ He wondered. The cream she-cat snorted and rolled over tiredly, turning her striped back to her kits.

"If you must." like a rabbit being chased for it's life, Flamekit sped out the Nursery entrance, calling for Ratkit.

"Thanks ma'!" he called.

Batkit just sat there in his nest, looking at the light that dappled the ground, through the branches of the bush. He didn't particularly want to spend the day with his brother. It would just end in a fight with Whitekit or Spiderkit again. But he didn't want to be alone either. Dawnpelt turned her head around, to look at her kit. Batkit looked back at her. Her green eyes showed concern.

"I had noticed, since Flamekit is always running his mouth… But you haven't spoken to me for a long time." She blinked at him, looking worried. "Will you speak to me?"

Her concern made his pelt prickle. " _She's going to snap any second now."_

The silence stretched stretched out uncomfortably. Dawnpelt flattened her ears.

"Why won't you speak?" her voice rising.

" _I have nothing to say."_ he muttered silently in his head. " _You won't ever change."_

Dawnpelt stood up, and unsheathed her claws. Batkit backed up, the hairs on his pelt standing on end. He stared at her, he felt his legs shake.

"Stop this nonsense now, I know you can speak." she snarled her words as she approached him. "Flametail would refuse to speak to me too, is that it?!"

Batkit backed up even more, his pelt being pricked by the thorns. He backed up and sat on his back feet, raising his paws defensively in front of his face.

Dawnpelt lifted a paw high in the air, as she swung it down, Batkit turned his head, flattening his ears, and let out a shrill, loud screech.

" _ **Please don't hurt me!"**_

The blow didn't come.

Batkit had flattened his ears so much, he couldn't hear anything around him. Batkit opened one of his pale yellow eyes slightly. To see his Father, Crowfrost. He had knocked Dawnpelt on her back, his claws were unsheathed and holding her down. He looked like a warrior from Tigerclan. Growling so loud, and digging his claws in deep. Batkit heard the entrance of the Nursery shake. Nightshade had popped her head in to see what had happened. Her green eyes widened, and wordlessly she slipped away.

" _Shes getting Blackstar!_ " Batkit stared at his parents worriedly. Sure he hated his mother, but if Blackstar got involved… He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I stop being your mate, and then you do THIS to my son?!" Crowfrost roared out, giving her a shake. "How could you be so heartless?"

"He won't speak to us anymore!" she spat out, trying to shake free. But Crowfrost kept a firm hold.

"Can you blame him? You're a mess, I wouldn't speak to you if I could help it!"

Dawnpelt snapped, she reached one of her long fore-paws up and slashed Crowfrosts eye, he let out a screech of pain, loosening his grip - just enough for Dawnpelt to wriggle free.

She turned to leave, only to be nose-to-nose with Ferretclaw. He narrowed his eyes in disgust at his Clan mate.

"Blackstar wishes for you to be escorted outside, for a Clan meeting." Dawnpelt opened her mouth to object, but Ferretclaw ignored her. "Now. I will be your escort." He glanced at Crowfrost, whose eye was closed, blood dripping down his cheek. "Go get your wound seen to, then the meeting will start." he leaned back from the entrance, allowing Dawnpelt just enough room to squeeze past. "I've got my eyes on you."

They padded away. Batkit looked up at his father. His expression looked like he was in pain, but Batkit guessed that there was more than just his wound hurting him. He padded up to his father, and rubbed his body against him.

"Thank you." he whispered softly to his father. Who blinked back at him. He let out a tired purr.

"Come with me to the medicine cat den - she didn't hit you did she?" Batkit shook his head, and followed his dad wordlessly. He sat down near the herb store, while Littlecloud rushed over, quickly cleaned his wound, and patted cobwebs onto his fathers wound.

"You're lucky, she barely scraped your eyeball. Weather or not you'll have problems with your eyes though. I can't say quite yet." He squeezed some coltsfoot juice into the wound, making Crowfrost hiss and turn his head.

"I've met kits who hiss less than you." Littlecloud mewed jokingly, before gesturing Batkit with his tail. "Could you grab me some more cobwebs?" Batkit padded further into the stall, and came out wobbling on three paws, holding one up that had the shiny white thread-like substance.

"Thank you Batkit… There, all done." Littlecloud sat back on his haunches. "You two best get to the meeting." Littleclouds blue eyes darkened with worry. "If only Starclan had warned us about this. I could have stopped this sooner, I didn't realise she-"

"It's not your fault" Crowfrost mewed, getting to his paws. "To some extent, she was always kind of unstable. It didn't help when Flametail…" he broke off, before tiredly limping out of the den, murmuring to himself. "I thought I could change her." he shook his head, before waving his tail in goodbye to Littlecloud.

"Let all cats who are old enough to hunt at night, gather together for a Clan meeting." Blackstars deep meow rang out across the camp.

Littlecloud gently nudged Batkit with his paw. "Here, we can sit together and watch the meeting if you'd like. I think your father needs to sit on his own."

The two padded out of the medicine cat den together, and sat near the edge of the ring of cats. Batkit looked around. Dawnpelt was sat in between Ferretclaw and Owlclaw, the two toms had their claws unsheathed, and looked alert in case Dawnpelt tried something.

Flamekit, Whitekit, Ratkit and Spiderkit were all sat together with Ivytail and Nightshade. Nightshade had her tail wrapped protectively around Ratkit. Batkit noticed both Whitekit and Flamekit were sat either side of the big she-kit.

" _Typical."_ he thought to himself.

Instead of loud and squeaky as the kits usually were, they all looked worried and somewhat solemn. Tawnypelt, and Rowanclaw were sat under the hazel branch. But they looked like they had fallen into ice water. They were shivering, and their eyes stretched wide. Clearly worried for their daughter. Tigerheart looked the most composed, sat just a tail length away from Batkit, but even he was sheathing and unsheathing his claws.

Blackstar balanced on the large Hazel branches. towering over his clanmates. The old tom looked as powerful as he had when he was young. His face were tired, but his eyes shone with anger, and that seemed to give him the strength he needed.

"We have been ignoring this matter for a couple of moons now." he began, looking down at Dawnpelt. "Your parents and I thought you would get better over time. But attacking your kits? What cat from Starclan, gave you permission to harm your own kits?"

Dawnpelt didn't respond, she just stared up at her leader. Her expression unreadable.

"Dawnpelt, please." Rowanclaw begged her daughter. "We don't want to exile you, but you have to understand. You can't do that-"

"She knows she shouldn't hit kits." Blackstar interrupted, lashing his tail. "I don't care what excuses you make for your daughter, or what she makes for herself. She is well aware of the rules in our Clan, and she has not been following them."

Rowanclaw gazed up at Blackstar, silently pleading, but the giant tom turned his head.

"Let's see. You've attacked kits, attacked your own partner, disowned your son, and have been teaching your kits to hate and fight each other. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Dawnpelt growled up at her leader. "I tried to make my kits, perfect. What mother doesn't want the best kits in the Clan?"

"So you smack them and shove them around?" Blackstar countered, furiously smacking one of his huge paws down on the hazel branch, making it lurch dangerously.

"I did what I had to!" she muttered, before swinging her head around and glaring at Crowfrost. "Besides, he hit me first"

Crowfrost looked furious with her claim. "I would never! You stupi-"

"Silence!" Blackstar shouted over the two cats. Narrowing his amber eyes at Dawnpelt.

"What you have done, does not get removed for what Crowfrost has done to you, and if this is true, he will pay for it." Blackstar leapt down onto the ground, wobbling before straightening up again. Nose to nose with Dawnpelt.

"I do not have liars, or kit abusers in my Clan. I spent moons working on making Shadowclan a respected Clan after everything Tigerstar and Brokentail did. I'm not having some fox-hearted she-cat break our Clan apart." He twitched his ear at his mate, Nightshade.

"Nightshade, would you be willing to look after Flamekit and Batkit?"

She nodded silently. Blackstar turned his attention back to Dawnpelt. Batkit's eye stretched open with unease.

"Dawnpelt, from this point on. You are no longer a member of Shadowclan." A distraught wail came from Tawnypelt, who was quietened by Rockheart and Rowanclaw. "You are to be take a piece of prey and eat it, then you are to leave. We do not care where you go, but because of your actions, you are no longer welcome in Shadowclan. For being a danger to every cat around you."

"No, you can't do that" Dawnpelt staggered to her paws, and stared hopefully at her family. Rownclaw sighed, and turned her back to her kit. Tawnypelt just stared at her, unable to cope she turned away too. "Why Starclan, you're taking two of my kits from me!" she wailed.

"Tigerheart?" she asked, padding forward. Ferretclaw and Owlclaw leapt to their paws and grabbed her tail between their teeth. Stopping her form going further.

The dark brown tabby hesitated, before closing his eyes.

"You aren't welcome here anymore."

Dawnpelts mouth hung open, shocked. She tried to dash forward to her family. Only for Ferretclaw and Owlclaw to restrain her. "No, please Starclan no!" she tried to spin around and bite Owlclaw, only for Tigerheart to lunge forward, knocking her over.

"Don't look" Littlecloud mewed, grabbing Batkit and pulling close to him. Batkit squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to block out his mothers horrified wails and screeches. It seemed like moons had passed when she was finally unable to be heard.

Batkit stared at his brother Flamekit, whose blue eyes were as round as moons, and his fur was on end. Nightshade gently licked his head.

"Come on, let's get your nests sorted out. I'll even put pigeon feathers in the moss, you'd like that." the usually prickly brown tabby was surprisingly gentle, carefully nudging the small ginger tom.

"But… Ma'. I can't go to sleep without Ma'." he mewed uncertainly. Ratkit got to her paws and nudged him from behind.

"C'mon slow mouse. You can stay with me and Batkit now." she looked over at Batkit, her amber eyes warm. "Batkit, let's make the biggest, featheriest nest in the whole of the Clans!"

Greatful for the distraction, Batkit got up and padded side to side with Flamekit. Whitekits quiet mew rose up from behind them.

"At we're all still together… Right?" he asked, catching up to Batkit and Flamekit. "I know we don't… Act like brothers. But we could try?"

Batkit nodded, while Flamekit didn't respond, he just climbed through the Nursery entrance. Batkit watched as he walked over to Dawnpelt's nest, and flopped over into it.

Ratkit, Spiderkit and Whitekit all glanced at each other.

"Do you want to play Riverclan Invasion? You can be Blackstar. Just this one time" Ratkit offered. Flamekit didn't even look up. The ginger toms eyes closed, and he refused to acknowledge the rest of the cats comments.

Tired, Batkit curled up next to his littermate, and buried his face in his thick ginger fur.


	41. Chapter 40 - Larkkit

**6 Moons and 23 Sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Larkkit was sat down, under the shady roots of the fallen tree, and was gently pulling leaves off of a bush, and stacking them neatly in a pile.

"Jayfeather will be so proud of me!" he mumbled to himself through his mouthful of leaves. He got sick of all the attention Millie and Graystripe gave him, so he had slipped away while they napped with his sister Shrewkit. He felt a pang as he thought about his sister. She was the best cat ever! Well, besides Jayfeather…. And his dad Bumblestripe… And his ma'…. And maybe even Ivypool.

Jayfeather never made a fuss over him, or his sister. He didn't seem to like anyone, and was always so grumpy. That to Larkkit made him the coolest cat ever!

But he had started to notice that Millie seemed to almost ignore his sister when the two were in the elder's den, awaiting stories. She always told Dovewing she doted on both of them equally, but he knew he wasn't imagining it! Graystripe had started encouraging the two she-cats to get along. He couldn't think why Millie liked him better, he always managed to stand on her tail, and would wake up from day naps with terrible nightmares.

Millie never blamed him for these problems though. He continued to pluck the leaves, as he thought about his family. He always had horrible, horrible dreamsnow.

"It was Cloudtail's fault for telling you about Bloodclan!" Millie had raged, when the little kit was being comforted by the two older gray cats after a nightmare. It was true Scourge was scary, and the thought of dog's teeth made his pelt crawl. According to Brightheart, dogs were huge, slobbery animals, that hunted cats! For fun!

He lifted a pale paw, only to swipe at nothing, as he looked up he realized he had plucked all the leaves in a mouse-length from him. Excited, he began to emerge from the tree roots, shoving his leaf pile slowly along the ground, as he tried to locate Jayfeather. Leafpool stopped to watch him.

"Hello Larkkit, what have you been doing?" she asked kindly, as the little gray tom scooted the pile towards her.

"I picked all these leaves for you and Jayfeather!" he announced proudly, raising his head. Only to lower it with embarrassment when Leafpool cooed at him.

"You are so sweet! Thank you Larkkit! I'm sure we can put these to good use!" she purred in an overly happy voice, Larkkit's eyes focused behind Leafpool, as he saw a familiar skinny gray tabby tom emerge from the dark.

"Larkkit, you picked all this?" Jayfeather asked, looking in his direction. Larkkit stood up even straighter, trying to look bold, only to remember he couldn't actually see him.

"Yup! I was hoping I could be your apprentice!" Larkkit mewed eagerly, only to see both Medicine cats stiffen. His ears drooped, as he saw Jayfeather suddenly turn away, and disappear out of sight. He looked up at Leafpool, his large yellow eyes showing the horror on his face. "What did I do?!" he whispered. Leafpool quickly glanced behind her, to check on her son, before she dropped her voice to a quiet whisper.

"He hasn't been the same since your kin Briarlight passed away." Larkkit strained to remember her, he remembered her short brown pelt, and dragging herself around with her strong forepaws, and her coughing., She had coughed a lot…

"He just misses her, I'm sure he'll be happy to be your mentor one day." Larkkit gazed hopefully at her.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Will I be your apprentice too?" Leafpool's warm gaze suddenly changed, to a dazed expression, before she quickly shook her head, then nodding it, still looking unsure.

"I'm… Sure. Yes? Most Clan's only ever have _two_ medicine cats at a time." Larkkit hesitated. If there had only ever been two medicine cats, would he have to wait for Leafpool to retire? Come to think of it, she did look fairly old… He pushed the thought away. Leafpool was so kind, he didn't want her to not be a medicine cat because of him!

"Larkkit! I hope you're not bothering Leafpool!" Millie's voice rang out from behind him, and he felt himself starting to be lifted up by his scruff, he just rolled his eyes. Leafpool noticed, and her whiskers twitched slightly.

"Oh no, he's been a big help gathering beech leaves for us!" she assured Millie, pulling the small pile towards her. Millie just nodded, and carried the kit back across to the elders den.

Larkkit lay sprawled out in the sun, thoughtfully watching Shrewkit and Goldenkit play Shadowclan Invasion. He didn't like fighting all that much, and his gaze wandered back to the medicine cat den. He saw Leafpool emerge, and stride across the clearing, just nodding or shrugging off most cat's greetings, until she stopped and whispered to Squirrelflight, before leaving through the bramble entrance. He felt his pelt prickle, had he upset the light tabby? He hoped not…

He awoke to the noise of the bramble barrier being entered, and as quietly as he could, Larkkit clambered out of his nest, and watched as Leafpool disappeared out of sight, heading to the medicine cat den.

He peered around, to see no cat out late, and quickly, but quietly padded towards the den, his ears pricked up as he heard Leafpool discussing with Jayfeather. He could only hear pawfuls of the conversation, when the wind blew in his direction."

"…Starclan said only two medicine cats per Clan… Fear of too many healing cats, overflowing our clan…I'll retire one day, but not anytime soon. I just hope Larkkit won't take things too badly."

Larkkit felt his heart seem to drop in his chest. The only way he can be a medicine cat is if Leafpool retires?! He slowly slinked back to the Nursery, his tail leaving a small trail in the dirt.


	42. Chapter 41 - Littlecloud 2

**7 Moons after the Dark Forest Battle**

"… And this is Heather nectar, it's used for sweetening herbs." Littlecloud mewed, gesturing at the pinkish plants in his den, growing in the shade. Flamekit nodded, faking interest to try and please the old cat.

"I see." he mewed, before turning his head as he heard the playful squeals of Ratkit and Whitekit fighting in the clearing.

"Littlecloud can I go now? The others are playing Riverclan Invasion."

"Oh… But there is more I could teach you in here. Look, this is catmint, it's used to stop pain."

"But" Flamekit began, before being cut off.

"Or these Juniper berries! We use them soothe bellyaches!"

"Littlecloud." the small tom tried again, to no avail. He flattened his ears to his head, a growl rising in his throat.

"Or maybe look at this. Sweet-sedge! It -"

"I don't want to be a medicine cat!" Flamekit roared out, stunning the older cat.

"B-but you." Littlecloud began shakily, before being cut off.

"No. I know you miss my uncle Flametail. But I'm not Flametail, I will never work in the medicine cat den! I need to fight to protect my Clan." he hesitated before backing up, heading to leave the medicine cat den. "I'm sorry Littlecloud, but I can't lie to myself about this." he mewed quietly, before turning and leaving the den.

In silence, Littlecloud sat down, sorting herbs in his den, before he became aware of scrabbling sounds next to him. Batkit was sat staring at the tansy leaves, sniffing them curiously.

"That's tansy, you shouldn't play with that." he began, reaching forward to take the plants off him.

"I know." Batkit mewed. The quiet tom very rarely spoke to anyone. He didn't play with the other kits, he just sat on his own, chewing leaves and grooming the elders. "Ratscar has a sore throat." Batkit twitched one his large ears, and without another word, the small kitten grabbed a mouthful, and padded out the den.

The tired old tom stared out of his den after him. " _Looks like I might get an apprentice after all"_ Littlecloud thought, hope flaring in his chest.


	43. Chapter 42 - Spottedcloud

**7 Moons and 15 Sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Rain was falling, making gentle pattering noises as the rain drops hit the muddy ground. Spottedcloud peered out of her nest wearily, to see Mousewhisker push his way in, waving his fluffy tail at her.

"Hey Spottedcloud! Have you seen my kits today?"

"No, I'm not moving out of this nest until the rain stops." She grumbled, curling up into a small ball.

"That's a shame! Flowerkit and Stonekit are getting livelier with each moon! They tried to catch a minnow before. They're so talented, just like their mother…"

Spottedcloud tuned out, and peered up at the gray, cloudy sky. She flinched, staring in shock at a fluffy cat like shape in the clouds.

"Silversnow?.." she stared intently as the cloud, as it slowly drifted away. She quickly lurched to her paws, and ran out of the den, heading straight for Willowshine, who was also peering up the cloud. She ignored the feeling of the rain plastering her pelt to her skin.

"D-did you see that?!" she whispered to the medicine cat, making her jump. Willowshine nodded, her round green eyes glowing with concern.

"It was a sign from Starclan." Willowshine murmured, sounding like she was in a dream, before slowly turning around, and padding towards the medicine cat den. Spottedcloud followed, her heart pounding hard against her chest.

"What does it mean?" she asked nervously, stepping over the sick body of Heronsong, who was coughing badly. The little tom mumbled a complaint, but she ignored him as she watched Willowshine sit down in her nest, and couldn't help but envy how dry her nest looked.

"I don't know yet. But… I think Silversnow is sad you didn't bury her body." Willowshine spoke quietly, and Spottedcloud glared at her angrily, lashing her tail.

"How was I supposed to get it off of a dog?!" she snapped aggressively, spinning around, to march out of the den. Only to freeze as the darker gray tabby spoke quietly.

"You could fix the deed now."

Without responding, Spottedcloud stormed away, shaking her head. She couldn't go to the Twoleg Place again! She couldn't… Silversnow couldn't be that angry could she?

She leapt up in the air, screeching in fear as a bolt of lightning struck the ground next to her, scorching the wet ground, making it appear dark, the smell of burning lingering in the air. Quickly her Clan surrounded her, asking her if she was okay? Did she need something to eat? Dazed, she shook her head, and padded towards the warrior's den, fearfully keeping an eye on the sky.

"Remind me what we're doing?" Mousewhisker asked, as the two grayish cats streaked across the Greenleaf Twoleg place, and deep into Twoleg territory. Deeper they went, until Spottedcloud noticed the tall tree, and froze. It was very dark, and the rain had fallen harder now, obstructing her view, but she was certain, this was the place. The place Silversnow…

The two approached the tree, keeping alert of their surroundings, until they reached the base of the tree, and paused. Between the roots, there was grass barely just growing over what seemed to be a grave.

"Someone buried her?" Spottedcloud breathed, only to stiffen as a familiar voice spoke.

"Yes, I did." Both cats spun around, to see one sandy gray tom, staring at them with his large yellow eyes. Vernon.

"Vernon?! Why?" She hissed in disbelief, Mousewhisker unsheathed his claws, prepared to strike this brutal cat down.

"Well. You weren't going to do it. Were you?" his cold voice, made her stiffen, and she felt her heart sink. It's true, she hadn't planned on returning. Still, this grave didn't seem recent…

"How can I be sure you actually buried her? You could have buried any cat?"

"Please, look at the grave, its huge, just like your friend was." The sandy tom rolled his eyes, and Spottedcloud fought the urge to slash him across the face, since she didn't have claws.

"I told you not to come back." Vernon remarked, before looking confused, and taking a step forward. "Didn't I? I'm not so sure now…" suddenly he lunged forward, and Spottedcloud felt her body go numb, as she heard a loud crack noise, and her face hit the wet grass, as the sandy tom raced away, being pursued closely by a furious Mousewhisker, yowling insults, as the darkness took over her vision.

"Silversnow, I'm so so sorry." Spottedcloud hoarsly whispered as the large silver she-cat approached her, her face fully healed, showing her two bright amber eyes.

"I forgive you my friend."

"But- why did you send that sign If you weren't angry at me?" she breathed.

"I was trying to warn you, to not grieve over me."

"Oh."

"I know."


	44. Chapter 43 - Ratkit, Whittekit & Batkit

**8 Moons after the Dark Forest Battle.**

".. Do you, Flamepaw, Whitepaw and Batpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life? Ratkit's loud meow rattled around the Nursery.  
"I do." Flamekit meowed, bowing his head.  
"I do! Whitekit shouted.  
Batkit dipped his head, wordless as always.  
"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name Flamepaw! From this moment you will be known as Flamestorm. StarClan honors your strength and cunning. Whitepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Whitefang! Starclan has gifted you with speed, and the heart of a lion in battle. And Batpaw! From this moment on, you shall be known as Batwing. Starclan honors your superb hunting skills. I welcome all three of you as warriors of Shadowclan," Ratkit steped forwards, and rested her muzzle on top of "Flamestorm's" head, as the ginger kit licked her shoulder. She moved on to "Whitefang", who licked her shoulder, and when she moved away, he gently brushed his paw over hers. Blinking in surprise, she quickly moved on to "Batwing." Once done, she called out their names.  
"Flamestorm! Whitefang! Batwing!"  
Spiderpaw and Cloudpaw popped their head in through the Nursery, and joined in the cheering before climbing into the Nursery.  
"Hi guys!" Spiderpaw purred. "We're here to make your nests."  
"Can we help?" Flamekit asked.  
"Sure Flameki- er.. I mean Flamestorm!" Cloudpaw mewed, gently petting Flamekit's head with his paw. "You need to take the old moss and put it outside the Nursery, we'll move it out of camp when we're done!"  
Flamekit dipped his head, looking pleased, before barrelling into the flat, stale moss and scooping up as much as he could in his forepaws, and dragging it to the entrance.

Ratkit nudged Whitekit and leant forward to whisper into his ear. "Boring. You know what we should do? Fetch Catnip for Littlecloud."  
"But we aren't really warriors yet." Whitekit whispered back, looking confused.  
"Well… Maybe if we help Littlecloud we'll be apprentices sooner!" Ratkit urged, her amber eyes shining. Whitekit's light pink eyes sparkled with hope too. Quietly the two slipped out of the nursery, and headed to the Dirtplace tunnel, only for Ratkit to spin around, feeling claws grab her tail. Batkit was staring at the two of them, his light yellow eyes boring into her. He simply shook his head, looking unimpressed.  
"C'mon Batkit." Whitekit mewed, flicking his tail impatiently. "You can come with us."  
Batkit didn't waver, he just continued to stare at them.  
"Batkit, we all know you want to be Littlecloud's apprentice. If we get him Catnip, he'll be so pleased he'd probably make you an apprentice on the spot." Ratkit mewed, gesturing to the medicine cat den with her black paws. Batkit visibly hesitated, before letting out a quiet sigh, and padded with them to the Dirtplace tunnel. Rockheart started to squeeze out of the tunnel. Thinking fast, Ratkit quickly shoved Whitekit and Batkit into a dip under the bramble wall, before sitting down fast, hoping her fluffy fur hid the other two. Rockheart walked past her, before turning to look at her.

"Why are you playing near the Dirtplace tunnel?" she asked, her green eyes narrowing.  
"I wasn't playing! You just took so long I've had to sit out here talking to myself!" she retorted hotly. Rockheart's eyes widened. And she looked very embarrassed.  
"S-so sorry! I'll be much quicker next time!" the young warrior mewed, quickly walking away.  
"It's so easy to get under her fur." Ratkit purred, moving so Whitekit and Batkit could get out the ditch. Whitekit squeezed out first, shaking his fluffy fur. Batkit climbed out after him, and pulled a thorn out of his pelt, making the lanky kit squeal.  
"Come on you two slow mice!" Ratkit mewed, pushing her way through the Dirtplace tunnel, and into the pine forest. In awe, Batkit looked around, pacing in a circle. Whitekit and Batkit looked overwhelmed too. A cuckoo called from high above them, and a mouse darted past. Instantly Whitekit ran after it, but the mouse was too fast and scrambled away down a burrow. Whitekit quickly started to groom his pelt, flattening his ears.  
"We should follow the sunhigh patrol's scents." Ratkit mewed, as they approached the camp entrance. "That way if we have trouble a patrol won't be far away, and it'll be less likely a fox or badger will follow the scents. They'll think we are the patrol!"  
"Are you sure foxes and badgers are that mouse-brained?" Whitekit asked, looking uncertain.  
"Well let's find out." Ratkit mewed, sniffing the air carefully. Batkit opened his jaws, and drank in the scents, before padding through the thin undergrowth, waving his thin tail as if saying "Follow me!"

"I think I can smell Littlecloud." Ratkit mewed, sticking close behind Batkit.  
"Me too!" Whitekit squeaked. Before hesitating. "Ratfkit do you know what Catnip looks like?"  
"Er… No. I just know it smells good." She admitted, ducking her head.  
"They have large ragged green leaves that resemble nettles." Batkit mewed, surprising the two. "Littlecloud said that it grows in the two-leg place. We have to be careful though, the Kittypet's don't like us." He stopped, and drank in the air, before changing direction slightly. "I can smell it, this way." The kits trekked on, wordlessly. Eventually they saw a large, smooth wall of pale wood.

"This must be the Kittypet place." Ratkit mewed, sniffing the air. "I can smell Catnip… And Littlecloud!"  
"C'mon then!" Whitekit urged, squeezing under a small hole under the fence. Batkit wiggled under next. Ratkit went last, it being a tight squeeze for the big and fluffy kit.  
"Oof." She mewed as she wriggled out the hole. The three cats blinked. There was no sign of Kittypets, or Littlecloud. But there in the far end of the garden, the three could see large leafy plants, with a delicious scent coming from it.  
"Catnip!" Batkit breathed, before racing towards the plants, his tail waving around in excitement. Whitekit and Ratkit glanced at each other, before grinning and racing after him. They skidded to a halt. Batkit started digging up a small Catnip shoot. "If we carry the shoots back to the Clan, we can maybe grow Catnip at the clan." He explained, his small paws cutting through the soft grass and dirt. The three worked in shifts. Ratkit and Batkit dug first, while Whitekit kept watch. Then Ratkit took the watch, then Batkit. Until four bulbs had been dug up. "We'll have to carry them back carefully. If we damage the roots they won't grow again." Batkit mewed, Ratkit and Whitekit fitted the bulbs into their mouths, trying desperately not to chew the delicious tasting plants. They flattened themselves against the twoleg fence and crept along. They reached the other end of the garden, and dug under, careful not to damage the roots of the bulbs on the fence or the ground. Whitekit wriggled out, before dropping his bulbs on the ground to speak.  
"Where is Batkit?" he asked, looking worried. Without waiting for a reply from Ratkit, he pushed his skinny head under the wall and peered in. Batkit was racing across the garden, his fur on end and his eyes wild. Whitekit quickly yanked his head back under the fence, and grabbed the bulbs in his mouth, looking worried.  
Batkit popped out of the hole, and skidded to a halt. He glanced back at the other kits, before signalling with his tail to move on.  
"Batkit" Ratkit mewed, the bulbs slurring her speech "Wha' wong?"  
He didn't respond, the black tom just kept walking, if unevenly. He was staggering forward, and looking around constantly. Ratkit and Whitekit glanced at each other worriedly. What was wrong with Batkit? They wondered. Once they got near camp, Tawnypelt ran out to the kits, Nightshade right behind her. They stopped in front of the kits, their eyes blazing with anger.

"Where have you been?!" Nightshade snarled. Ratkit and Whitekit carefully put the plant bulbs down. Batkit just stared at the two she-cats, swaying slightly on his paws.  
"We went and got Catnip!" Ratkit mewed proudly, puffing her chest out. "Batkit said if the bulbs are planted, we could grow Catnip and not need to borrow it."  
Nightshade and Tawnypelt's anger seemed to ebb away slightly, as they glanced at each other.  
"We can't encourage kit's leaving camp without permission." Tawnypelt began, only to be cut off by a deep voice.  
"However, these kits did well."  
Blackstar pushed his way out of the entrance, and looked down at the kits- well his kit anyway.  
"Who came up with this… Mouse-brained idea?" Nightshade mewed, glaring at the kits. Ratkit raised her tail proudly.  
"Ratkit you-"  
"Did a good job." Blackstar rumbled, gently nudging his kit with a large black paw. Noticing Nightshade and Tawnypelt's furious faces however, he cleared his throat hurriedly.  
"However. I cannot reward kits who broke the warrior code." He narrowed his amber eyes at them. "For the next quarter moon, you will have to will have to search the Elders for ticks, and clean their nests whenever they ask." Ratkit and Whitekit looked crestfallen, while Batkit stilled looked slightly on edge.  
"Carry those bulbs to Littlecloud, and then you will get started on your punishment." He grumbled, before turning his head away from the she-cats, and giving a smile to his kit, before slowly limping back into camp.  
Tawnypelt nudged her grandkit's forward, sighing. "Come on, let's get you all inside, safe."  
Batkit blinked up at her, then it was if something clicked inside the young toms head, he scooped up a catnip bulb carefully, and he raced into the camp.


	45. Chapter 44 - Maybelle 2

**8 Moons and 2 Sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Maybelle continued to groom Smokes soft face, gently untangling a knot of her fur. She was currently living in the Abandoned Twolegplace in Thunderclan territory. She had gotten permission from their leader, Bramblestar. So she could raise Smoke and Soot safely, away from arguments.

Away from Breezepelt.

He and Nightcloud had returned to the stables, and had evicted her. So much for friendship. Kestrelflight had tried to get her to join Windclan, but she knew that Clan wouldn't accept Smoot, and all her uniqueness. Thunderclan were allowing her and Smoot to stay, until her kit could leave to travel with her. But her heart began to sink, as she watched the kit get up, and wander about the ground. She noticed how large the kit had gotten, almost the same size as a tom, with thick long fur.

She knew she couldn't travel again, but she couldn't leave Smoot either.

Smoke began to grumble, and make scratchy noises, and Soot quickly spun around to her, her eyes wide and hopeful.

"Hunt?" she asked, Maybelle dipped her head, and watched the two headed kit drop into a wobbly, uneven hunting crouch, and slink into the shadows. Maybelle lowered her head to her paws, and dully thought about her future. She wanted to return to the gorge, but she knew she couldn't, not yet.

She heard the squeal of a mouse, and shortly after, Soot's head came into view, a mouse dangling from her jaws. Maybelle forced out a loud purr.

"Good girls! Well done!" she mewed, and the happy little plump kit padded over, and pushed the mouse forward, wanting to share with her mother. The two settled down to eat, though Maybelle continued to stare off in to the distance, not feeling very hungry. Eventually, she glanced at her kit, to see the smaller head, Smoke. Her gaze was focused on her, her eyes narrowed in concern, whilst Soot continued to eat. She quickly purred at her, and gestured with a dip of her head that she was fine.

"How about we go for a walk?" Maybelle suggested quickly, and Smokes expression softened, her amber eyes relaxing. Soot looked up, looking confused, but quickly nodded, and grabbed the remains on the mouse, and padded off to bury them.

Maybelle stood outside, enjoying the cool air that gently touched her pelt. It reminded her of the mountains, and how far she had travelled. She felt Smoot press against her gently, and she let out a purr, as the two started to head towards the Shadowclan border.

It seemed Soot had forgotten it was a walk, and dashed off, chasing a squirrel. Maybelle shook her head fondly, and kept walking. Sure, being a mother was stressful, but her kit was the best kit she could ask for. She certainly missed her real kits, but she knew one day, she'd see them again.

She paused, hearing what sounding like cats jeering and yelling, and quickly ran in the direction Smoke and Soot had disappeared in, skidding to a halt at the border, near the river. She stared as some Shadowclan cats called out, jeering at a heartbroken looking Smoot. Only one had not joined in, her expression unreadable.

"Hey Two-Face! You couldn't be a warrior even if you had training from Starclan!"

Furious, Maybelle walked forward, her legs stiff with anger, and here lips drawn back in a snarl.

"Get away from my kit!" she hissed, catching the patrol by surprise, a large black and white tom stepped forward.

"Oh look, a little loner." He jeered. "Typical Thunderclan!" before Maybelle could tell him where to stick his paws, the cat stood on her own, a brown tabby she-cat, with a torn ear, suddenly rounded on him.

"Oh! So being a loner makes you a bad warrior does it Crowfrost?!" she hissed, and the skinny tom looked taken aback.

"N-not at all Nightshade! You've earned your place, but that loner-" the brown tabby turned away, smacking her tail against his jaw, and she glanced at Maybelle, looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry about him. Ignore him. He couldn't tell a good warrior apart from a bad one if his life depended on it!" she blinked her green eyes kindly at him, before turning to the rest of the cats. "Right, enough petty hissing, we have a border to patrol to do." With that the tabby marched off, with the rest of the patrol scuffling anxiously behind her, meowing apologies as they went.

Maybelle turned to Smoke and Soot, to see both of them, their eyes wide with sorrow, and trembling. Maybelle dashed over, and started to groom her face.

"Ignore them Smoke! Soot too, that brown tabby apologised! They didn't mean-"

"They said I waaas… Bad cat." Soot managed to meow, shaking her large head angrily. "I not bad… I good. Yes mama?"

"Of course you are! And Thunderclan thinks that too! Come on, let's head back to the nest." She turned around, and draped her short tail over Smoots left shoulder, and slowly guided her back to the den.

"Maaa..?" Soot drawled quietly, Maybelle's ears perked up as the kept walking.

"Yes?"

"Am I warrior?" she asked, Maybelle shook her head.

"No, no. You're a loner, like me."

"Buuut… Could I be Warrior?"

Maybelle stopped walking, and didn't look Soot in the eyes as she replied.

"Being a warrior takes moons of work, if a Clan accepts you."

"Okay." Was all she said as the two approached the abandoned nest. Maybelle felt her fur prickle, she had so wanted to rake her claws all over that patrol, how dare they upset her kit! She pushed away the thoughts she had before, about leaving, and curled up to sleep with her kit.


	46. Chapter 45 - Goldenkit

**8 Moons and 25 sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle.**

Goldenkit paced around the nursery, taking care as to not wake or disturb Daisy, Creamkit, Larkkit and Shrewkit. It was very early, the sun had not even risen above the camp yet. But he couldn't rest, he couldn't wait! For today, he was going to be made an apprentice! It felt like he had waited seasons. I mean he had, but that was besides the point.

His paws itched with excitement. He couldn't wait to finally leave the camp!... Again. He stood still, and wondered about his friend, he only knew briefly: Tigerheart. He knew he could never really be friends with a cat from another clan. But he was so nice, and he didn't make a big fuss over him like Thunderclan cats did.

That being said, why did he visit the camp anyway? He tried to remember why, but he never really was told why. He presumed it was simply one of those things he'll understand "When he's older." as Sandstorm always told him.

He hated that phrase. How much older must be he before he understood anyway? A sunrise? A quarter moon? Seasons?! It bothered him greatly. Sighing, he started pacing again. He never could keep track of his own thoughts so easily. He took extra care to step over Dovewing's outstretched legs, as he made another lap around the nursery.

Sandstorm, and every other cat in the Clan for that matter, said he was just like Firestar. The father he never knew. It felt like he knew him though, constantly he was told how great he was, all the adventures he'd been on. How the clans will never forget him. He hoped he could live up to his fathers legacy. But he always felt stressed out by it all. What if he didn't end up a great cat like him? He tried to shake the thought away, every time it came up in his mind. But it was always there, lurking. Troubled by the thought appearing again, he stopped paying attention and accidentally stood on Creamkits paw.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed, sitting up up in surprise, before narrowing her amber eyes at him. "Why aren't you sleeping?" she hissed quietly. "Mama will tell you off!"

"Sorry Cream'" he mumbled. "I have to uh- make dirt." Before moving away from her and her staring eyes. She might be younger than him, but that didn't stop her being a bossy furball.

He pushed his way out of the nursery, and gazed around. No one was awake yet, it was still very early. He looked at the dirtplace tunnel. He didn't need to go, he just didn't want Creamkit judging him. Ever since Mallowkit had died to kittencough, Creamkit had been spoiled by the whole clan. She also took to bossing everyone around, even warriors.

Goldenkit peered into the apprentice den. He could see his best friends Amberpaw, Snowpaw and Dewpaw. Their nests pressed together, the triplets inseparable as ever. His gaze flickered to the other side of the was still an apprentice, despite his age. He had been held back tree moons for constantly attacking other patrols and threatening to leave. He just stood and watched the brown and cream tom's flank rise and fall gently as he slept.

"You'll be sleeping in there soon." a gentle voice whispered, startled he span around. He let out a quiet sigh when he saw his sister Leafpool was talking to him.

"Don't creep up on me!" he grumbled crossly, his fur hot with embarrassment. But his ears quickly flicked up again. "Hey Leafpool? Do you know who my mentor is going to be?" the brown tabby's whiskers twitched.

"You know full well I can't tell you. It'd upset Starclan."

"Oh..." he sat down and pouted.

"But." He sat up again, his green eyes shining.

"But?" he repeated.

"But they are a strong, brave warrior. Who can teach you how to be the best you can be. That's all I can tell you." Leafpool turned her head to the sound of pebbles being moved. "It won't be long until your an apprentice Goldenkit. I can hear cats getting up now. You best go to Sandstorm so she can clean your pelt. We can't have you looking like a rat at your ceremony!" with that Leafpool turned away, and headed towards the Medicine Cat den. He followed the path he took, but veered off to the elders den, and pushed his way through the entrance. To his surprise, he could see none of the elders were asleep. Cloudtail, Sandstorm and Graystripe were all sat together, sharing tongues. Graystripe paused mid-lick as he made eye contact.

"You know, you getter bigger every time I see you Goldenkit. You sure you aren't a warrior already?" he asked kindly. Cloudtail nodded in agreement and Sandstorm got up and approached him.

"I can't believe you're six moons already. It seems only yesterday you opened your eyes for the first time." she purred, pulling him closer to him, as she started to groom his thick pale ginger fur on his head. Goldenkit scowled, but let his mother groom him. He felt Cloudtail groom his back.

"It seems only a quarter moon passed since you went on your little 'adventure' too." he mumbled. "Lucky I were never such trouble." he felt Sandstorm stop grooming his head, and glare at Cloudtail.

"Funny, I distinctly remember a small white kit and his foster siblings, braving a snow storm to try and catch prey for his clan." she retorted, Goldenkit wiggled around to face Cloutail. Who's whiskers were twitching with amusement.

"Yeah? I wonder who it could have been. Hey Graystripe? Do you know who it was?" he asked cheekily. Graystripe's eyes shone with mischief.

"Nope! Sorry but, I was in Riverclan at the time." he replied, as Cloudtail snickered at Sandstorms annoyed growl.

"Toms." was all she said before continuing to groom him. Goldenkit leant against her and closed his eyes. Enjoying the last few moments he'll spend as a kit. Letting out a loud rumbling purr.

"Let all cats old enough to come together, gather here under the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar's voice rang out across the camp, waking Goldenkit to his senses, he quickly bounced up and did small bunny hops as the other elders stretched and yawned.

"It's time! I'm gonna be an apprentice! He called, racing out of the den and to the centre of the clearing. As all other clan members emerged from their dens. Goldenkit sat and watched every warrior who sat down, trying to guess who it'd be.

" _Maybe it'll be Blossomfall._ " he thought as the tortoiseshell she-cat down at the edge of the crowd. She was well groomed despite it being early. But so were most other cats. She also didn't seem very interested in what was going on. She just sat whispering to Rosepetal and Dewkit

" _Maybe Lionblaze?_ " he wondered as the powerful golden tabby sat down next to his mate Cinderheart. He was a strong warrior, who never loses in battle. " _Or maybe-_ "

"Cat's of Thunderclan!" Bramblestar's deep voice echoed around the camp. "It's been six moons since Goldenkit was brought into our world. He has already shown a thirst for adventure and trespassing into other clan's. Just like his father." Goldenkit shrank down slightly, embarrassed as other cats laughed. He knew they all weren't laughing, and those who were? They weren't laughing at him. At least he hoped not as he glanced upwards to the ledge again.

"Goldenkit! You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Goldenpaw. As for who your mentor will be? It shall be myself, as my way of thanking Firestar for his many, many seasons of saving his clan. I hope to pass all his teachings, and my unique experiences to you." the giant brown tabby leapt down from the ledge, and lowered his head to him. Goldenkit eagerly pushed his nose against him, and turned around to look at the clan.

"Goldenpaw! Goldenpaw!" All the cats cheered, getting louder and louder. However Bramblestar walked infront of Goldenpaw, and raised his tail. Which signalled for silence. It took a while for the cheering to die down, and they all looked at him curiously.

"Today is not just a celebration of young life, but of older, wiser life too." he began. Goldenpaw blinked in confusion, before he saw Sandstorm stand up. Sandstorm, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?"

"It is." she mewed, but from where Goldenpaw was sat, he could see the reluctance in his mothers eyes.

"Thunderclan honours you and all the service you have given to us. I call upon Starclan to give you many moons of rest." Bramblestar padded forwards towards Sandstorm, and gently bumped noses with her. The clan started up their cheering again.

"Sandstorm! Sandstorm! Goldenpaw! Goldenpaw!" they all cheered, and Goldenpaw put his head back, purring away as he went up to his mother.

"You didn't tell me you were going to the elders den today." he mewed, pouting a little. Sandstorm laughed.

"If I had, you'd have been busy worrying about that, instead of your ceremony wouldn't you?" she replied. Goldenpaw opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again. It was true. He looked up at Bramblestar hopefully.

"So what are we doing first?" he asked excitedly. Trying not to hop about like a tiny rabbit.

"I was thinking a border patrol. So you see some of the territory." he mewed, his eyes glittering with warmth. "We'll be going along the Windclan border, since you've already seen Shadowclan's." Goldenkit felt his pelt go hot, as amused mreows came from his sisters and mother.

"I'll go get Icecloud, Amberpaw and Berrynose. To join you both" Squirrelflight mewed, passing by them and going to the thinning crowd. He felt Sandstorm lick him on his head again.

"You have fun. Someday soon you'll be a warrior, then an elder like me." she purred. Goldenkit wriggled away.

"I will, I will mama." he mewed, rubbing his head with his paw, undoing her hard work. He glanced at Bramblestar again. "Can we go now? Please? Please?"

He rolled his eyes and nudged him along with a large paw. "I'm the mentor I give the orders. But yes, we can." Goldenpaw raced towards the camp entrance, ducking past Brackenfur as he joined the rest of his patrol at the entrance. Amberpaw bounded forward to greet him, touching noses.

"I can't believe Bramblestar is your mentor!" she gasped, eyes shining as she lowered her voice. "Must be nice having a mentor who cares." Goldenpaw blinked, unsure how to respond as he glanced at Icecloud. The white she-cat wasn't paying attention. The more he stared at her, the more he realized how thin she was. Her soft white fur hanging loosely on her. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bramblestar cut through his thoughts.

"Sorry, I just had to sort out the hunting patrols. Let's get going. Icecloud, do you want to lead the patrol?" the white she-cat blinked, looking surprised.

"I- sure?" she mewed uncertainly, he heard Amberpaw let out an irritated sigh. "Alright, we'll take our time. Amberpaw, I trust you to help Goldenpaw remember all he's learned!" with that the white she-cat ducked and left through the camp entrance. Followed by Berrynose, then Amberpaw. Goldenpaw itched to just run after them, but he glanced back at Bramblestar. He gave a small nod, like he had read his thoughts.

"After you." he mewed. Eagerly he raced out of the camp, and fell in line behind Amberpaw. He gazed around, everything seemed smaller than he remembered. Then again he was a lot smaller when he had went on his adventure. He looked at how the grass only came up to his legs now, instead of up to his ears. He tried to breathe in and figure out the different scents. He smelt prey, but had no idea what type of bird it was.

"Smells like that crow has already been hunting." Berrynose remarked, his small stump of a tail swishing. "The sooner one of us catches it, the better. It's getting too confident for my liking."

"I bet I could catch it." Goldenpaw declared, ignoring the amused looks the warriors all exchanged with each other.

"You've already mastered your hunting crouch have you?" Berrynose asked, his whiskers still twitching. "I know Bramblestar is a great mentor. But I didn't even master that in a day." Goldenpaws ears drooped a bit.

"I could catch it then." Amberpaw replied. "I can track anything!"

"Just like your father." Bramblestar agreed, though Icecloud didn't respond. Goldenpaw remained quiet, staring right at the white she-cat all the while. She even moved differently from the other cats. Berrynose and Brabmlestar walked confidently, heads held high. But Icecloud had her head lowered slightly, her tail drooping to the point it moved leaves as she walked. As they continued on, he tried his best to listen to Bramblestar and Berrynose, though it was hard to remain focused when all he wanted to do was race around and explore, especially as the scents started to change the further they walked. Finally Icecloud joined in the conversation.

"Alright, we're here. The Windclan border." she mewed, unenthusiastic as always. Goldenpaw approached the edge of the stream cautiously. Remembering how he fell in the river as a young kit. He slowly peered into the water, and saw his reflection. He gazed at it, and thought he saw it wink at him, he sat back in surprise.

"Cool." was all he managed to say. Amberpaw came and sat next to him.

"I know, right? I remember when I saw this border the first time too. There was a Windclan patrol and- oh look here comes one now." she pointed her paw towards the group of cats making their way across the moorland.

"Amberpaw, get behind me." Icecloud hissed, urgency in her voice.

"You come here too Goldenpaw." Bramblestar mewed. "They might just be patrolling, but we don't want them to start complaining about anything, if we can avoid it."

"For just sitting near the border?" Amberpaw asked in confusion, slinking behind her mentor.

"Windclan are rabbit-brained. They think just sneezing at a gathering is a sign of war." Berrynose scoffed. "We should finish the patrol." as they turned to continue, a Windclan cat called out to them.

"Bramblestar!" Goldenpaw turned around, a small flecked tom was the head of the patrol. Followed by a skinny smoky gray tom, and a pale gray-white she-cat missing a tail. Bramblestar passed by him, and dipped his head at the patrol.

"Greetings Kestrelflight. Why are you leading a patrol?" he asked curiously. The flecked tom sighed.

"There's a herb shortage, I'm finding more and more herbs dug up or eaten. We don't know if it's a new animal or.."

"Or Breezepelt." The dark tom mewed. Kestrelflight twitched his ear nervously.

"Or _him_. Yes. That's why we wanted to know if we – or I – can gather some herbs from your territory. Then we'll be gone. No fresh-kill, just herbs."

Bramblestar paused, before glancing towards Goldenkit. "What do you think?"

"You're asking an apprentice?" the pale she-cat hissed in disbelief.

"Ignore her." Bramblestar whispered. "What do you think would be the best choice?"

"Well.. I'd let them find some herbs. What if a kit is sick? If we don't help, it'd be on us." Goldenpaw mumbled nervously, looking at his paws as everyone looked at him.

"I agree." Bramblestar mewed. Goldenpaw glanced up, letting out a sign of relief. "Crowfeather, Kestrelflight. You two have permission to gather some herbs, and then leave." the two toms sighed in relief, and bounded across the border, the she-cat went to jump too, but stopped when Bramblestar continued. "Gorsetail, you can stay there. Two is enough for herb gathering." the Windclan cat spluttered in disbelief.

"I was sent to help!" she hissed. "Unless you plan on-"

"We'll be fine Gorsetail." Kestrelflight mewed curtly to her, before turning to face Goldenpaw. "Thank you Goldenpaw. You're wise for an apprentice." was all he said, before nodding at Crowfeather. "Come, the herbs won't pick themselves."

"W-wait!" Goldenpaw called out to them in confusion, as the two Windclan cats glanced back at him. "How did you know my name?"

"I'm a medicine cat. Knowing things is my speciality." he purred, winking at him before disappearing into the undergrowth. Goldenpaw stared at the place he saw them last, in disbelief. Before dragging his gaze to the patrol.

"Starclan told him my name? Why?" he asked, in awe.

"Starclan alerts all cats of greatness" Bramblestar mewed.

"Pft. Yeah sure. No. You just look like your father the great kittypet." Gorsetail sneered, from the edge of the border. Berrynose spun around so he was nose to nose with her.

"Did you say something you want to share?" he growled.

"Not at all half-clan kittypet. By the way, how was your face after I raked it?" she taunted, clearly wanting to start a fight. But the giant cream tom wasn't ruffled.

"Healed fine. How's your tail?" he sneered back cockily. Gorsetail let out a furious hiss, and crouched down, ready to attack. But Bramblestar stood in between the two of them.

"Enough. A medicine cat is here to collect herbs, not to start a needless battle." he growled, glaring at Gorsetail. "Don't make me call them back, due to your own actions."

"My actions?!" she snapped. "I don't believe you Thunderclan cats! It's never your own fault!"

"Well, for once it wasn't." Icecloud mewed dryly.

"For once? It's always your fault, every prophecy the medicine cat's seem to get is about Thunderclan!"

Goldenpaw shrank back, next to Amberpaw. Terrified a fight was about to break out. Amberpaw licked his ear comfortingly.

"It's okay, Windclan she-cats are always prickly." she assured him, as they watched Gorsetail sit down and go quiet again. A silence seemed to stretch out forever, until Crowfeather and Kestrelflight re-emerged. Their jaws clamped shut over large amounts of herbs. They dipped their heads respectfully as they passed by. Their gaze lingered on Goldenpaw as they passed, before leaping over the border. Crowfeather dropped his bundle, before gesturing as Gorsetail.

"Can you help carry this?" he asked. She quickly stood up and grabbed half of the pile in her mouth, before turning and following Kestrelflight. Once she was out of earshot, Crowfeather looked at the patrol.

"Thank you Bramblestar, Windclan thanks you for this." he mewed, lowering his head respectfully.

"Your welcome Crowfeather. Even though we are divided by the code, we are all still cats through and through."

Crowfeather didn't reply, he just grabbed his herbs and followed the rest of his patrol down hill. Once gone, Bramblestar turned to his patrol.

"That went better than I thought it was going to." he admitted, before glaring at Berrynose. "You could have just ignored her taunts."

"I could have, yes." Berrynose agreed. "But I hate her."

Goldenpaw and Amberpaw tried ti stifle their mreows of amusement. But Icecloud heard them and let out an annoyed sigh.

"Honestly Berrynose, you wonder why you don't have an apprentice?" she asked coolly. That shut the giant cream tabby up. "Now then, let's finish this patrol before something else happens."

Goldenpaw trailed behind the rest of his patrol. They were on their way back to camp. But his legs were not used to walking so far yet, and they ached fiercely. He refused to let himself be carried however. But as he limped on, he ended up further and further behind. Luckily, Bramblestar noticed and stood still, waiting for him to catch up.

"You're doing great Goldenpaw. I could barely make it to the border myself when I was a new apprentice." he mewed, as he slowly caught up to him. "When your back at camp, you'll be learning how to search the elders for ticks. I'm sure Molepaw will help you with that."

"Yes Bramblestar." he mumbled, not wanting to admit that was definitely going to make him walk slower.

They continued their slow stroll back to camp, only for Bramblestar to move his tail in front of him. Stopping him from moving.

"What?" he asked, before quietly peering past his mentor. A giant crow was a few fox lengths away, picking at a snail.

"Try and catch it." his mentor murmured, not taking his eyes off the prey.

Goldenpaw dropped into a rather shoddy hunters crouch, and slowly began to approach it.

"Watch where you put your paws." Bramblestar whispered as he passed by him.

Pawstep after pawstep. Inch by Inch. He was finally a fox-length behind him. He bunched his muscles, and leapt, claws outstretched. The crow finally saw him and squarked, flapping its wings franticly. Goldenpaw was too heavy for it, and flattened its wings to the ground, before biting down hard on its neck. Eventually it stopped struggling, and went limp. As he got off it Bramblestar cheered.

"Excellent!" he called out, bounding over. "Your hunting crouch needs a lot of work. But look at what you've done! First day too. I don't know any other apprentice who caught prey the first time they went out!"

"Technically second." Goldenpaw reminded him, and his mentor let out an amused purr.

"Listen, Goldenpaw. The reason we joke about you going out as a kit? Every kit has done it at some point."

"Woah. Really? Even you?"

"Especially me, I'll tell you about it later. Do you think you can carry it back?" he asked gesturing at the crow.

"Oh, of course!" Goldenpaw grabbed it and held his head back as he walked. So it wouldn't scrape on the floor. He followed his mentor down and into the camp. He felt his fur go warm as everyone stared at him.

"Woah, you caught that?!" Dewpaw asked as he ran over from sitting with Molepaw. "It's bigger than Creamkit!"

"Impressive." agreed Squirrelflight as she greeted her mate. "You should take that to the elders. They're on the basking rocks."

Goldenpaw nodded, and continued his journey across the camp. Waving his tail as his clan mates called out to him. He hopped up the rocks and dropped his catch in front of Sandstorm. She opened her eyes and purred at him.

"Where'd you get that? I didn't see that on the fresh-kill pile." she remarked. Graystripe opened his yellow eyes and licked his lips hungrily. Extending a paw towards it.

"I caught it!" he declared proudly. "It was outside the camp entrance."

"No way you caught that." Cloudtail piped up, arching his back into a stretch. "My first catch was a measly shrew!"

"I'm so proud of you." Sandstorm purred, swiping Graystripe's paw away. "I'll be sure to share some of this with these toms."

"Some?!" Graystripe whined. "I want it all, I'm hungry!"

Sandstorm ignored him, though Cloudtail was mreowing with laughter. "Go get a mouse, I'll share this with you, after you check me for ticks." she leaned forward and rubbed her face against him affectionately.

He quickly hopped down from the rocks and approached the fresh-kill pille. His legs still ached, but his heart was full of love and pride. Pride for his clan, but also himself.


	47. Chapter 46 - Littlecloud 2

**9 moons after the Dark Forest Battle**

Littlecloud pushed his way into Blackstar's den, there to drop off his daily strengthening herbs. Blackstar blinked warmly at the medicine cat, and slowly started to lap up the herbs. Littlecloud started fidgeting, trying to muster up the courage to ask his leader a question. Once the large tom had finished, he got to his black paws, and arched his back in a stretch.

"I needed that, thank you Littlecloud." Littlecloud simply dipped his head. Blackstar narrowed his eyes at him.

"I've known you long enough, to know when you want to ask me something old friend. Speak."

"You know we're both getting old." Littlecloud began, Blackstar let out an amused purr.

"Really? I thought I was just a herb addict!"

"Yes… Well, our time is running out in the Clan. I don't have an apprentice. That's what I want to talk to you about."

"Let me guess, you want me to make Batkit your apprentice at sunhigh?"

"Ah… Yes. I know the other Clans might scoff, and think we're going back to our roots. I know he isn't six moons just yet, but-"

"The other Clans can go eat crowfood for all I care." Blackstar snorted. "They don't know how to run my Clan the way I do. Littlecloud, don't worry. Batkit will be Batpaw before the moon has risen. Go tell Rowanclaw to hold off the patrols, I will call a Clan Meeting right away."

Littlecloud nodded and padded out of the den, feeling like his pelt was tingling in excitement.

Littlecloud cleared his throat, his voice was quiet and raspy, but sounded certain. He knew this had to be done.

"Cats of Shadowclan, as you know, I will not be around forever. So it's time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown his intelligence and willingness to learn. Your next medicine cat will be Batpaw."

The skinny black tom stepped forward, his head held high and his golden eyes gleaming.

"Batpaw, do you accept the post of medicine cat apprentice to Littlecloud?" Blackstar asked. Batpaw bowed his head, and quietly mumbled. "I do."

"Then at the half-moon, you must travel to the Moonpool to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats." Littlecloud mewed.

"The good wishes of all Shadowclan will go with you" Blackstar dipped his head. Batpaw and Littlecloud touched noses, as the cheering rose up from his littermates and friends.

"Batpaw! Batpaw!" the other kits cheered, with the whole clan joining it. Seemingly indifferent about the kit being made an apprentice a moon early.

Once the cheering died down, Littlecloud started padding towards the den, chatting to his new apprentice excitedly. The old cat hadn't felt this young in moons!

"Let's get right to work right away! First I'm going to teach you what you can use instead of cobwebs in emergencies. Then, we will go over the types of berries that are poisonous! And then-"

"Maybe we can go for a walk and you can teach me where the best herbs grow?" Batpaw suggested quietly, looking unusually excited and lively, his golden eyes glittering.

"Oh, I'm sure we can do that too!" he purred, padding in to his den.


	48. Chapter 47 - Loudstorm

**9 and a half Moons since the Dark Forest Battle.**

"Come back Cloudpaw! The banks are muddy!" Loudstorm called to the small apprentice, who had run ahead to the Shadowclan and Thunderclan border. The white apprentice ignored her, and Loudstorm let out an impatient sigh.

"Starclan, please never give me an apprentice." she muttered, rolling her blue eyes when the apprentice slipped into the stream.

"Help me!" He wailed, trying to climb out, but slipping back in as the mud. He desperately clung onto a root sticking out of the bank. Loudstorm glared at him.

"Are you going to start listening to me when your mentor is busy?" she asked, sitting down above the small stuck apprentice.

"Yes! Anything just please pull me up!" he wailed, his short white fur plastered to the poor cats skin. Loudstorm leaned over, grabbed his scruff and hauled the young cat up roughly, dumping him on the short grass. Cloudpaw shook his pelt, water droplets flying everywhere.

"I think we should go back to camp, for the day. You need to see Littlecloud before you catch a cold." She scolded the young cat, her paws trembling with both fury and fear.

 _"If I hadn't been there for him, he could have been injured! Or worse..."_ she thought, trying to push that mindset away, as she stared at the sorry looking tom.

Cloudpaw just hung his head, looking defeated.

"Yes Loudstorm." he mumbled quietly

"Good, now let's go."

Loudstorm sat outside the medicine-cat den, grooming the pine needles out of her thick fur. She heard rustling, and Littlecloud peered out.

"Cloudpaw is fine. He's just shaken up." Littlecloud mewed.

"Good, it might teach that cat to show respect to other cats." Loudstorm growled.

"He's an apprentice, you can't expect him to be well mannered all the time, surely?"

"I don't care what age his is, if he refuses to listen to other cats who aren't his mentor, he'll never make a good Warrior." Loudstorm retorted. "Spiderpaw, who is moons younger than him, has much more humility."

"Well yes he would do." Littlecloud pointed out. "When the Clan judges you on your appearances, you better have a good personality to make up for… Oddities. Cloudpaw is brash and headstrong, if his mentor teaches him right, then he'll have the makings of a good Warrior. Besides, if you are that worried, speak to Mousedapple about it. I'm sure she'd listen. Look, there she is."

Loudstorm looked up, Mousedapple had returned from the border patrol, and as usual the stunning she-cat walked with a confidence most other warriors lacked. But she never came off as arrogant, just powerful. Loudstorm just stared at her, not sure what to say. However the calico tabby caught her eye, and started to pad over to her.

"Yes?" was all she mewed, her voice cool and calming as fresh ice.

"Ah- Cloudpaw fell in to the stream." She stammered, unable to look away from her unusual eyes. Mousedapple didn't respond, waiting for her to continue. "Well, he's fine. But he wouldn't listen to my warnings, that's why he fell in."

"I see." Was all she replied with. Not looking away from her.

"Um… I wanted to know if you'd teach your apprentice more respect, for other warriors. Maybe? Aheh…" she broke off, as Mousedapple continued to just stare at her for a long while, before dipping her head in agreement.

"Alright." She mewed, pushing past Loudstorm and straight in to the medicine cat den. Loudstorm peered in cautiously. The pretty tabby had her back to the entrance, as she peered at her apprentice.

"I heard you fell in to the stream." She remarked, leaning down and licking the small white toms head.

"Yeah." Was all he replied with, not looking directly at his mentor.

"Loudstorm said it's because you didn't listen to her. Or rather, wouldn't. Is this true?" she continued, her tail tip twitching slightly. Loudstorm glanced at Littlecloud, who was sat watching this unfold.

"… Yes." Cloudpaw sighed, staring at the ground. Mousedapple let out a small sigh.

"I thought we talked about this already. That you'd try and respect your fellow Clan cats more." She mewed, sounding concerned. "But you've lied to me just to silence me. _Again_. I'm getting rather tired of this." Loudstorm felt her fur start to stand on end, only to almost jump out of her skin as Mousedapple called out "Loudstorm, what do you think his punishment should be?"

"I ah-"

"I knew you were listening, I could see your shadow." She remarked, not looking around. Loudstorm felt her fur prickle, hot with embarrassment. "Still, you are the affected cat in this. What do you think a suitable punishment would be?"

Loudstorm stared at the mostly white apprentice, who had finally looked up and was staring pleadingly at her. She pushed away the thought to confine him to camp and make him a personal slave to the senior warriors, although…

"I think…" she began uncertainly. Mousedapple looked at her, blinking her blue eyes warmly at her.

"Yes?"

"That if… He can't respect other cats. He should be looking after the elders and senior warriors for the next quarter moon."

"That's all?" Mousedapple asked, looking somewhat surprised.

"Yes?" Loudstorm mewed, unsure herself. However the ginger and silver tabby looked satisfied.

"Well, there you have it Cloudpaw. That should teach you some humility. It's a generous, mellow punishment, in my opinion. So, what do you have to say for Loudstorm?"

"Uh… Thanks." He muttered, though he did look somewhat relieved.

"Don't thank her just yet, if you haven't improved in the next three sunrises I'll have your warriors ceremony held off for _another_ moon!" she warned, stepping back so the apprentice could walk past her. "Now get to work."

"Y-yes Mousedapple." His voice was barely a squeak, as he scampered out of the den and towards the elders den. Mousedapple turned to Loudstorm, and the white and yellow cat could see the warmth in her unusually patterned eyes.

"Well, I'm surprised. You've never had an apprentice before, but you didn't skip a beat." She purred, as Littlecloud quietly excused himself and slipped past the two she-cats. "I'm sorry he's been such a brat. I'd warned him already when he was rude to Nightshade. Starclan knows he don't want to give _that_ she-cat a reason to complain." Her whiskers twitched, and Loudstorm felt herself relax a bit.

"Yeah… I think him falling in the stream has scared him though." She replied, feeling unusually sympathetic for him. Mousedapple didn't seem to share the sympathy.

"Well, he might listen this time." Was all she replied with, before glancing out the den. "I must go. I think Ferretclaw wanted me for something. We'll have to talk some other time."

"Oh… Okay." Loudstorm mewed, watching her walk out of the den, before giving herself a shake and getting out of the den herself.

 _Three Sunrises Later._

Loudstorm led her patrol along the Riverclan border. Unafraid of being so close to the small Thunderpath at this time of the year. It seemed Twolegs never came down here in Leaf-Bare. She could see the Twoleg place as they traveled further along, her paws prickling as they got closer and closer, until they reached the fence. She looked up, admiring the tall fence. Mousedapple cleared her throat.

"Are we just going to admire this fence or are we going to continue the patrol?" she asked, swishing her tail. Loudstorm jumped, and looked at the rest of her patrol. Cloudpaw's expression was kept neutral, not wanting to get in to trouble from his mentor. Smokefoot just blinked warmly at her.

"I think it's good she's checking the fence. There could be scratch marks." He mewed, Cloudpaw looked puzzled.

"Why would that be important?"

"Well, because if it rains, it'll wash away the scent of a Kittypet on our territory. But if there's scratch marks-"

"We'll know someone has been on our territory." Loudstorm finished quickly, glancing at Mousedapple. The she-cat just nodded approvingly at her.

"I hadn't thought of that." She replied. Loudstorm was sure she sounded serious. "But still, we have to get this patrol finished, so the dusk patrol will be ready on time."

"Of course, l-lets go." She mewed quickly, starting to pad along. They stayed near the fence as they walked, and passed by a part of the fence that had broken away. Cloudpaw stiffened as he approached it, and inhaled deeply.

"I can smell a rogue!" He announced, sniffing the ground again. "Or a kittypet…" Loudstorm quickly spun around, and breathed in too. She noticed a large paw print in the dirt. A cat had been here. But that wasn't all, she sniffed again. It smelt like a Shadowclan cat had been here, but she couldn't recall who's scent it was exactly. She turned to Smokefoot, who was looking at her expectantly.

"Smokefoot, can you lead the patrol for me? I'm going to check out what's beyond this fence." Smokefoot nodded, and gestured with his tail to the rest of the patrol. Cloudpaw quickly followed, but Mousedapple hung back, looking concerned.

"You sure you don't want any help looking around? Two cats are better than one." She mewed, looking serious. Loudstorm shook her head quickly.

"I'll catch up to the patrol in no time. But… If I'm not back for some reason when the dusk patrol has returned, send help."

"Alright. Just be careful" Mousedapple mewed warmly, before racing after the patrol. Loudstorm watched her patrol until they were out of sight, before squeezing her big fluffy body through the gap. It seemed like the Twoleg den in front of her, was possibly abandoned. The windows were dirty and cracked, and there was twoleg things everywhere. As she cautiously walked around the outside of the abandoned nest, she could see that it had fallen apart, the walls had crumbled away, and once wall, was covered in ivy, but as she peered closer, should could see that behind the ivy wall, was a large hole. She sniffed around the entrance. She could smell the harsh tang of ivy, mould and decay, and the scent of some cats… and dog? However all scents were very difficult to separate from one another,

"You should run away." A voice mewed, making the fluffy she-cat jump, and spin around to where the noise had come from. A very small kit was perched atop of a fence post. She was a cream and white fluffy kit, with leaf green eyes, and a light pink collar with a bell attached to it. The kit glanced behind her cautiously, as if afraid of being watched, before looking back down at Loudstorm. Who just snorted rudely.

"Why, are you going to chase me off?" she asked, trying not to purr with amusement. Only to see the kit shake her head impatiently.

"I won't. But the Horde will." She replied, glancing around again. "I'm Honey. What's your name?"

"… What do you mean 'the Horde will?'" she remarked, determined not to tell the kit her name.

"They um… Aren't nice cats." She mewed quietly, standing up on her hind paws, and looking around again. As Loudstorm padded closer, she could see the kits fur was stood on end, clearly afraid. "They take kits that wander outside their Twoleg Nests if they aren't six moons old."

"They _take_ them?" Loudstorm echoed, baffled. "Why?"

"I-I don't know. That's all my mama told me." She mewed uncertainly, before leaping to another fence post. "My mama and I live in the Twoleg place just over this fence, want to see?" She asked hopefully. Loudstorm hesitated, before leaping up and clawing her way up the fence.

"Is it possible I can speak to your mother, and learn more about this… Horde?"

"Sure!" she purred, leaping down off the fence, and landing on a strip of grass. Loudstorm followed, and looked at this nest. It was a lot cleaner, no cracks, no rubble, and well looked after, colourful plants of all shapes and sizes, and some she had never even seen before.

"Littlecloud would love to see these plants." Loudstorm murmured to herself, as she followed the happy kit as it raced along the grass, and towards the nest. At the entrance, there seemed to be a small flap. Honey sat and waited for Loudstorm to cautiously creep on to the smooth wooden porch.

"I'll get her, wait here." She purred, before standing near the flap. Loudstorm blinked in confusion as a small green light came on in the corner, and a small "beep" noise was made. The small kit then pushed her way through the flap, and disappeared in to the den. Curious, Loudstorm stood in front of the flap, waiting for it to make the noise, or the light to come on. Nothing. She sat back and stared at it in confusion.

"Does it detect what cats live here? Wow, if Shadowclan could have that, we'd be the safest Clan around." She remarked to herself in awe, and sat waiting. Eventually she heard paw steps approach the flap, and the green light came on, and a small beep noise was heard again. Loudstorm scooted back, as a light brown tabby she-cat came out, followed by Honey, and another kit. This kit was light gray in colouration. The light brown kittypet sat down, and watched as her two kits raced out on to the patch of grass, before looking at her.

"I'm Flopsy. Honey told me you were looking at the abandoned Twoleg Nest" she mewed curiously. Loudstorm nodded.

"I thought I smelt one of my Clan cats there, but I'm not sure."

"Ah, a Clan cat… I'd be careful If I were you, there is a dog that lives in that nest." Flopsy remarked, looking serious. "A big dog, fast, loud and angry."

"Shadowclan can take on a dog." Loudstorm assured her, but Flopsy didn't look convinced.

"A normal Twoleg pet, I have no doubt. But this thing? It's no pet." Flopsy glanced around, and relaxed when she saw her kits playing under a patch of brightly coloured plants. "That… Thing. It listens to cats from the Horde-"

"That's a load of fox-dung!" Loudstorm interrupted, staring at the kittypet in disbelief. "Dogs don't understand cats!" Flopsy just sighed.

"Maybe, but these cats can speak dog. They bring it food, they take it for walks around the Twoleg Place, they groom it, and then they sneak it back to the den." Her blue eyes darkened. "They use it to… Attack cats who refuse to listen to them. My mate, Alfie. He attacked one of the Horde's main cats when they had cornered me. Yail, I think. The next thing he knew, he was running for his life, with thing mangy dog right behind him… He didn't…" Flopsy broke off, shaking her broad head.

"I'm sorry." Loudstorm murmured, getting to her paws. "I will warn my Clan about this. Do you know anything else about them?"

"Yes… If you refuse to join their Horde, you will be hunted down and ripped apart." She replied, before shaking her head and calling to her kits. "Honey! Goose! We need to get inside now, our Twolegs will be home soon."

"Awww!" both kits moaned, before scampering back. Goose followed his mother in to the den, while Honey hung back for a brief moment.

"Nice meeting you." Was all she said, before disappearing through the flap. Loudstorm hung back, trying to understand what she had learnt. These cats were using a dog to attack other cats… This was bad, really, realy bad. Quickly, she raced off of the smooth wooden porch, over the grass and clambered up to the fence post, only to freeze. Three tom-cats were on the other side of the fence. All of them looked up, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, look at this toms. A pretty she-cat, all alone." One of them cooed. His fur was a sandy, grayish brown colour, and he had yellow eyes, that didn't seem to blink. The other two cats, a skinny, ragged furred brown and white tom, and a big black and white tom, let out purrs of amusement.

"Ya been payin' a visit to Flopsy? She is a good she-cat, perhaps we should give her a visit, whatcha' think Vernon? That a good idea?" the skinny brown and white tabby tom mewed. Vernon, the gray brown tom, let out a chuckle. Loudstorm unsheathed her claws, ready for a fight.

"We could do that Yail. Or, we could go visit her kits. How old were they again?"

"Four moons, boss." The black and white tom mewed, licking his lips. Loudstorm felt her hackles raise as she glared down at the three cats.

"If you want to lay a paw on those kits, you'll have to go through me!" She snarled, lashing her large bushy tail. Vernon's whiskers twitched.

"You obviously don't know who you are dealing with. Yail, Patches, show her how we deal with heroes around here." He purred, turning around and confidently strutting away from the area. Loudstorm stared down, and stared at Yail. The tom's claws were very long, and hooked at the end, digging in to the ground. She glared at him, crouched down, and sprang – but had aimed for Patches instead, knocking the large tom backwards. Knowing that would catch both toms off by surprise. She heard Yail snarl, and quickly she rolled on to her back, as she predicted the skinny tom had leapt forward, she lifted her pack paws up, and kicked out, smacking him in the jaw.

The skinny tom landed roughly, and Loudstorm got back to her paws, only to feel a harsh blow on the back of her head. She reared up, spinning around, and lashing out with her front paws. But Patches ducked, and leapt forward, his claws outstretched, and Loudstorm felt pain through her forehead, and lashed out desperately, feeling satisfied as her claws ripped through the skin in his muzzle, feeling the warm blood splatter her paws. However the feeling didn't last, as she felt clawed paws grab hold of her ears, and tear them. She let out a pained screech and tried to shake him off, only to feel the claws dig in further, tearing her ears more, and feeling the tom start to bite the wound on the back of her head. Thinking fast, she let herself go limp, flopping to her side. Her blue eyes open, not focusing on anything. The toms got off her, purring. Patches leaned forward, grinning.

"Mouse-brained Clan dirt. Just like all of them." He purred, turning around to look at Yail, who was purring loudly with delight. As he turned, his neck was exposed. She didn't want to do this, but having no other choice, she leapt forward, and bit down on his neck. Hard. Hooking her claws in to his face and body, and tearing, and tearing until she felt blood splatter everywhere. The giant tom wailed, and shook and ran around, trying to detach her. However, she felt Patches go limp, and sink into the ground. As she got off of him. It slowly sank in what she had done.

His white and black pelt was strained scarlet. Blood was splattered all over the grass, and pieces of his fur and chunks of skin were plastered around. Yail was stood there, horrified.

"Patches." He whispered, slowly dragging his eyesight from his limp, tired friend, and focused on her. His amber eyes, glowing with fury.

"You!" he bellowed before racing forward, she tried to rear up and slam down on him, only for him to dodge to the side, and knock her on her side with a sharp head-butt into her ribs. Before she could straighten up, he tore into her. Ripping his long, sharp claws in to her neck, leaving large gaping wounds as he leapt off of her. Loudstorm gasped, struggling to breathe, ah she stared at the small cat, who looked triumphant.

"An eye for an eye, a throat for a throat. Clan scum." He hissed, before fleeing down the nearby Thunderpath. Loudstorm tried to call out for help, but all that came out was a scratchy, gargling voice,as she coughed up blood, and she quickly gave up. Feeling light headed, she let out a tired, loud sigh and closed her eyes.

"Loudstorm?! Loudstorm!" Mousedapple's scared screech made the bloody she-cat open her eyes. She could tell the blood had mostly dried, and her wounds had closed slighty, but she felt warm. Very warm. She looked around her. She could see Mousedapple stood over her, with Pinenose and Batpaw with her. She guessed Littlecloud had been off gathering herbs…

"Stay still, you'll be okay! Batpaw, we need to stop the bleeding." Pinenose urged the little apprentice.

"Yes- Ah…" he stammered, Loudstorm let out a groan of worry. Batpaw had only been an apprentice for a half moon, the poor kit looked terrified, staring at the motionless Patches. Staring horrified at the gash in his neck.

"C-cobwebs, marigold, and burnet for strength." he told Pinenose, and two raced around looking for what they needed. Mousedapple began to carefully inspect her. The usually calm she-cat was shaking.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you go alone." she sobbed, stopping to nuzzle her face. "You'll be okay. We just need to stop the bleedi-"

Loudstorm shakily listed a paw, and put it over Mousedapple's muzzle, silencing her. She stared at her with her blurry blue eyes. Giving her a look. Mousedapple looked stricken, knowing what she was trying to say.

"No." The calico tabby gasped, shaking her head. "You'll be fine I-"

"Vernon." Loudstorm managed to stammer out, her voice raspy, shaky and dry, but better now the blood had dried. Mousedapple looked confused.

"Vernon…. Yail…" Loudstorm wheezed, breaking off in to a bad coughing fit, some blood gushing out of her wound. "Bad cats…"

Mousedapple just listened to her, her expression getting more and more furious as she continued to try and tell her what she knew.

"Stealing kits… They speak dog…. Scary, yellow eyes…" she whispered, her flanks heaving as she tried to keep talking. Only for Batpaw to quickly hobble over on three paws, one raised, covered in cobwebs. He quickly, but nervously began to apply the cobwebs, his paws shaking. Pinenose came over, in her jaws was some burnet. She spat them out next to the medicine cat apprentice.

"No marigold." she explained, before creeping past them, and stepping gingerly over Patches' dead corpse, towards the abandoned two-leg nest. Pinenose was quick to notice the hidden entrance, and curiously peered in, freaking Loudstorm out.

"No!" she wailed, making Batpaw spring in to the air in fright, and land back on his paws, his fur on end, and his golden eyes large and round. Pinenose spun around, looking baffled. "Dog!" she yelped at Pinenose, before breaking in to another coughing fit. The black she-cat hesitated, and breathed in, before quickly lumbering back to the group.

"T-there is a dog in there. We need to get Loudstorm away from here… If the dog tries to come out, we'll-" the four cats froze, as a loud whimpering and whining could be heard form inside the nest. Mousedapple quickly grabbed Loudstorm, trying to get her on her back, wincing under her fluffy, heavy fur.

"Pinenose, you going to lend a paw or what?!" she snapped angrily. The black she-cat quickly dashed forward, and grabbed Loudstorm's back legs, and the two began to carry the she-cat around the side of the nest as fast as possible.

Batpaw was stood motionless to the spot, however as Loudstorm dully looked over at him, he wasn't staring at the house, but across the Thunderpath. Loudstorm tried to look in his direction, but could only make out the faint outline of a cat…

Batpaw seemed to find his energy, and raced past the she-cats, looking horrified. He got to the broken fence post, and waved his tail at them, his golden eyes wide and pleading, clearly begging them to hurry. Mousedapple and Pinenose carefully lowered the large white and yellow she-cat to the ground, just as they heard the ivy tendrils move, and the large, deep throated bark of a large dog. Quickly Mousedapple grabbed Loudstorm's scruff, and started to drag her through the small gap. Pinenose was soon on the other side, pushing her back end, in hopes of making her get through quicker. Batpaw quickly hauled himself up the fence, and spun around on the post, watching the dog.

"Has it scented us yet?" Pinenose hissed up at the apprentice, and Loudstorm let out a pained groan as Pinenose shoved her harder. Loudstorm opened her eyes, to see she was half way through the gap, and was now on Shadowclan territory.

"N-no. It's found that cats body… Oh Starclan forbid…" Batpaw replied, his voice barely more than a whisper. Loudstorm could hear the dog barking and the sound of tearing flesh, the noise was loud and horrifying. She gagged, as if going to throw up a hair ball. She closed her eyes again, as she felt her neck wound reopen from the pulling and pushing of her body. She began to drift off again, as Batpaw let out a warning yell. She struggled to keep her eyes open, only vaguely aware that Pinenose had shoved her so roughly in a panic, it did get her through the gap, but her wounds got even worse, more blood spilling on the grass. She let out a tired sigh, and slowly shut her eyes as Batpaw leapt off of the fence post, and ran over to her in a hurry.

"Loudstorm, please hang on…" Mousedapple begged, as Loudstorms head started to roll, and her body go limp…

"I'm so sorry I was horrible to you Loudstorm, please be okay." Cloudpaw whispered.

Loudstorm opened her eyes, feeling very out of it. Her whole body burned, and as she tried to get up feebly, she sank to her paws. She slowly began to get her sense back somewhat, and could tell she had been carried back to Shadowclan camp. She could hear some cats arguing, some crying in fear, again she tried to force herself to her paws, wanting to assure her friends everything was fine. However now her limbs wouldn't even move. She managed to open a single, blue eye. Mousedapple was talking to Blackstar and Rowanclaw, explaining what had happened. She shifted her gaze, and could see Littlecloud rushing over with a bundle of herbs, while Batpaw was right behind him on three legs, carrying more cobwebs. She just closed her eye again, and just lay there, feeling herself go almost completely numb as the medicine cats rolled her gently on to her back, to get better access at her worst wounds. Her ears twitched as she heard Mousedapple race over, calling her name.

She managed to open her eyes, one more time. To see Mousedapple and Cloudpaw stood over her, looking grief stricken. Her gaze softened as she looked at them, and managed to shakily raise a paw, and point at Cloudpaw.

"C-C…" she stammered, closing her eyes, and letting out one final sigh.

"Cloud… Storm" was all she said, as the flanks ceased moving, and as she entered the darkness, she could see starlight shining brightly ahead…


	49. Chapter 48 - Ratpaws Apprentice Ceremony

**10 Moons since the Dark Forest Battle**

Blackstars voice rang out across the clearing. "Let all cats old enough to hunt together at night, gather together for a Clan meeting!" Ratkit raced out and skidded to a halt in front of the Highbranch. Whitekit and Flamekit followed more slowly. Cloudpaw and Stoatpaw came out of the apprentice den, and sat close to the Highledge too.

" _They must be getting their warrior names too_." Ratkit thought. Her paws prickling with excitement, " _I wonder who my mentor will be_?"

The rest of the Clan quickly gathered together and stared up at Blackstar expectantly.

"Today is a good day for Shadowclan." Blackstar mewed. "We are here today, to celebrate change. Our Clan is growing stronger each moon rom the Dark Forest Battle. But today, is a day for us all to enjoy." He looked down at the kits.

"Ratkit, Whitekit and Flamekit., you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Ratpaw, Flamepaw and Whitepaw. Ratpaw, your mentor will be Crowfrost!"

The black and white tom stepped forward, his eyes shining almost as bright as his well groomed fur.

"You are a strong, smart and fearless member of our clan. I hope you pass all your teachings you've received onto her. "

Ratkit walked up to her mentor, and touched noses with him. The two quickly got seated back into the crowd, to watch the rest of the ceremony. Crowfrost's eyes were shining brightly, clearly proud for his other kits too.

"Flamepaw, your mentor will be Tigerheart." Tigerheart padded forward, the handsome tabbies fur had been groomed until it was glossy and shone in the sunlight. "Tigerheart, aside from your… Mistakes. You have proven yourself that you really are a loyal and hard working member of Shadowclan. Pass these traits onto your apprentice."

Tigerheart and Flamepaw touched noses, before going to the edge of Warriors and sitting down. Ratpaw glanced up at Tigerheart, looking envious that the handsome tom wasn't her own mentor. Flamepaw glanced over to her, and tried to touch noses with her, but Ratpaw quickly moved back, and let out a nervous chuckle. Flamepaw also let out an awkward purr, but kept looking at her, his pelt fluffed up slightly.

"Whitepaw." Blackstar smiled to himself as the albino kit looked up, looking like he was going to burst with pride. "Your mentor shall be Marshstep" Marshstep looked up, clearly surprised. It seemed as if no one had told the warrior. His brown tabby pelt was ungroomed and he looked very nervous as he got up. "Marshstep you have shown your superb hunting and fighting skills. Pass these teachings on to Whitepaw."

Whitepaw hesitated, visibly not happy with the choice of mentor, but padded up and quickly touched noses with Marshstep, before sitting down quickly near his friends. The clan started to call our their new names, only for Blackstar to shout out over the Clan.

"However, the meeting is not over just yet. Stoatpaw, and Cloudpaw, you have both passed your final hunting assessments. Ratscar and Mousedapple. do you agree your apprentices have what it takes to be Warriors?"

Ratscar nodded, while Mousedapple called out a confident "Yes!"

"Then, Stoatpaw and Cloudpaw, step forward." the two apprentices got to their paws, glancing at each other excitedly.

"I, Blackstar, leader of Shadowclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices.. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you, as warriors. Cloudpaw, Stoatpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Cloudpaw stated. looking like he was going to burst with excitement.

"I do." Stoatpaw mewed solemnly.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Cloudpaw,from this moment you will be known as Cloudstorm. StarClan honours your courage and confidence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Shadowclan.

"Cloudstorm! Cloudstorm!" The warriors called out, as Stoatpaw let out a wiggle, clearly wanting his name called too.

"Stoatpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Stoatfang. Starclan honours your dedication and strength. we welcome you as a full warrior of Shadowclan."

"Stoatfang! Cloudstorm!, Ratpaw! Flamepaw! Whitepaw!" The clan rang out, their voices loud enough to scare away nearby birds who were sheltering in the tree branches.

Ratpaw's amber eyes shone with determination. "I, Ratpaw, will be the greatest warrior from Shadowclan the Clans have ever seen!" she called out, and Crowfrost let out an amused purr.

"Confident? Good. Now I think we should go for a tour of the territories. Tigerheart? Marshstep? Care to join us?"

Tigerheart nodded,looking as eager as Flamepaw to get out and tour the territory. Marshstep hesitated, before nodding in agreement too. Whitepaw bounced up and started to push his way through the dispersing crowd of warriors, eager to get to the entrance.

"Hey, hey!" Marshstep called, looking annoyed. "Whitepaw, cut that out. Or you will be searching the Elders for ticks instead."

Whitepaw stopped running, but gave his mentor a long look. "Alright." Was all he said. Ivytail, Spiderpaw and Batpaw caught up to him.

"You're an apprentice now! I'm so proud of you!" Ivytail purred, grooming her foster son with her long pink tongue. Spiderpaw pushed forward and gave his foster brother a nuzzle. Batpaw just dipped his head to him, and quietly muttered. "Well done." Blackstar and Nightshade padded out to them as the crowd continued to disband. The old leader looked very proud, and his mate looked like she was going to shriek with joy.

"So you're going out to tour our grand territory?" Blackstar asked kindly.

"Yup!" Ratpaw mewed, circling excitedly.

"Well I better not hear you've gone digging up catnip again." Nightshade purred jokingly, leaning forward to lick her kit on the cheek. She looked up at Crowfrost. "You better look after my daughter for me." Crowfrost dipped his head.

"You know I will Nightshade."

"Come on Nightshade, leave the poor tom alone. Ratpaw will be just fine." Blackstar rasped, before breaking off in to another coughing fit. "Excuse me, I need to get my daily herbs from Littlecloud."

"I'll get them for you!" Batpaw mewed, eager to show off his knowledge to his leader. Quickly racing towards the medicine cat den. Blackstar twitched his whiskers, and reached forward and tapped his mate with a large black paw. "Come on, stop licking Ratpaw and let's get my herbs sorted for today."

"Alright, alright." Nightshade reluctantly agreed, giving her kit one last lick on the head before standing side by side with Blackstar and heading towards the medicine cat den.


	50. Chapter 49 - Batpaw

**10 moons and 4 sunrises since the Dark Forest Battle**

"Well done, Batpaw!" Littlecloud purred, as Batpaw padded in to camp, carrying a jaw full of chervil, comfrey, and willow roots. His paws were sore, and some of his claws were broken and cracked, but he still held his head high, as he limped across to his mentor. He knew his clan mates were watching him, and for once, Batpaw was confident in himself. He knew that they were looking at him with pride, not disdain. It made him feel strong.

He waved his tail at Nightshade as he walked past. She let out a purr and waved her tail back. He felt a rush of warmth as he looked at her. She had took him in, and raised him the best he could, as her own kit. Alongside Flamekit. He then felt a shiver go through him, when a thought crossed his mind.

" _If Nightshade is our foster mother, does that mean Flamepaw is in love with his foster sister?_ _ **Ack!**_ _Get it out of my head! OUTTA MY HEAD!"_

He shook his head quickly, and dropped the roots in front of Littlecloud. The tom's eyes shone with warmth.

"Very good! Now, do you remember what these roots are used for?" he asked, his old raspy voice hoarse with age. Batpaw narrowed his golden eyes, trying to remember.

"Willow roots are chewed to relieve anxiety. Chervil is used for kitting and infected wounds, and comfrey is for soothing broken limbs, soothing inflamed joints and easing stiffness." He echoed quietly, straining to remember. But as he looked at Littlecloud, his pelt prickling with unease, he saw his eyes light up with warmth.

"Well done Batpaw! I've been blessed with such a smart apprentice." He mewed, starting to sort the roots in to separate piles. Batpaw let out a purr, only to turn his head, hearing excited squeals from his brothers. Whitepaw and Flamepaw were practising fighting moves, while their mentors cheered them on in the clearing. Batpaw felt his paws itch. He knew medicine cats were meant to protect, not harm, but wouldn't it make sense a medicine cat knowing how to defend itself from rogues and enemies in the heat of battle? He hesitated, watching Flamepaw pin Whitepaw down, only to be knocked off of him quickly, as Whitepaw had kicked out and hit him in the stomach with his long legs. He turned and looked back at Littlecloud. The old medicine cat was sat happily sorting the roots still. Obviously uninterested in battles.

"Littlecloud?" he mewed quietly. The old tom nodded his head, but didn't look up from sorting the roots. "Can I learn some fighting moves?" he just stopped, and looked up at him, clearly alarmed.

"Why?" he asked, looking very uneasy.

"Well… What if an enemy Clan attacked me?" he replied.

"Starclan would forbid a medicine cat being attacked by a Clan cat in battle." Littlecloud mewed solemnly.

"Maybe, but what about the rogues and kittypets? They won't care about Starclan!"

"Well…" Littlecloud considered. "It is a tradition for Shadowclan medicine cats to fight…"

"Thanks Littlecloud!" he called, racing out of the den.

"Alright, we'll teach you something simple to start off with." Tigerheart mewed, nodding at Flamepaw. "Flamepaw, Whitepaw, demonstrate the Upright Lock."

The two toms stood nose to nose with each other, then quickly reared up on their hind legs. They both started to wrestle with their fore paws, and Whitepaw fell to the ground, as Flamepaw slammed all his weight down on the white tom.

"Oof. Get off!" Whitepaw yelled. Batpaw's whiskers twitched with amusement, and he looked at Tigerheart.

"The trick with that move, is to move as fast as you can on to your back legs, and bringing yourself down as hard as possible. As you are open to a belly rake attack while you're stood upright."

"Alright, I'll try it." Batpaw mewed, only for Tigerheart to shake his head.

"You need to practise it on your own first, or you'll just end up flattened by your brothers." He replied, before turning to the two apprentices, now roughly nipping each other. "Stop that, or I'll join in!" the two apprentices quickly separated.

Batpaw reared up on to his skinny back paws, wobbling, before pushing down with his forepaws. He landed unevenly, and he quickly fluffed his fur out.

"Not bad for a first try!" Tigerheart called. "You'll get used to standing on two legs after a while."

Over and over, Batpaw tried, until around the eighth time, he managed to rear up without wobbling, and slam down with a good amount of force, without falling unevenly.

"You did it!" Batpaw spun around, as Crowfrost padded in to the clearing with Ratpaw. "Well done." He purred proudly. Batpaw stood a little taller, his eyes glowing with pride.

"How about I teach you the Leap and Hold?" Ratpaw mewed hopefully. Batpaw nodded, and watched as she turned to Crowfrost.

"First, you need to get behind the enemy, unseen." She began, darting behind his father. Moments later, he saw her brown and cream figure leap out and grab a hold of Crowfrost's back, with her paws digging in to his fur, as Crowfrost raced around, trying to throw her off. "Then you just hang on, and slash and bite the enemies head and shoulders!" she called, only for Crowfrost to stop running, and roll over as Ratpaw let out a shriek of surprise, which was quickly muffled until Crowfrost rolled off of her.

"Just watch out the warrior you're clinging to doesn't roll over." Crowfrost purred, winking at his son. Batpaw sat down and watched the other apprentices practise their moves, when a thought struck him.

"Why don't we learn how to swim?" he asked, Crowfrost blinked at him in confusion.

"Why?" the black and white tom asked.

"Because then we can fight Riverclan, and take them by surprise?" he mewed, looking down at the ground as all the cats looked at him. "Never mind…" was all he said, as he got to his paws, and walked away.

Batpaw sat at the shore of the lake, eyeing the water curiously. He didn't feel afraid of it, just curious. He knew Littlecloud was terrified of the lake, after what had happened to Flametail… he shuddered at the thought.

" _I need to prove to everyone that I'm Batpaw, and I'm not Flametail's replacement."_ He thought.

After a few moments of arguing with himself, he got to his paws and waded in to the lake. He let out a hiss, it was cold! The water quickly soaked through his thin coat, touching his skin. He forced himself to pad out further away from the shore, and started to splash around frantically, trying to swim. Only to keep bobbing under the water, making him cough and wail frantically as the lapping waves of the lake started to pull him further out into the water.

"Starclan help!" he wailed, before sinking under again, as he looked around, he could see a white shape swimming to him from the Thunderclan bank. As the cat got closer, Batpaw ducked under the water again, only for the cat to grab him by his scruff, and hold his head above the water.

"Slow your movements." The cat hissed through his scruff. "Find a rhythm!" Batpaw stopped splashing as frantically, and tried to move similar to walking, only to feel the cat shake its head slightly. "No. curl your paws as you slowly churn them. You only use the back paws as much in strong currents, keep them mostly tucked up. I'm going to let go now."

"No no-" Batpaw begged, only for the cat to let go, he began to churn his front paws desperately, and reluctantly folding his back paws up, as he started to move, he bobbed under the water, but he managed to correct himself as he came back up for air, it took a few moments of him going forward for it to sink in: He could swim! He started to experiment, leaning to once side so he could turn around. As he did he looked at the cat who had helped him, and blinked. She didn't look like a Clan cat, with very large ears, and violet eyes. She just nodded and turned away, swimming back to the Thunderclan shore.

"Wait!" Batpaw called, as he desperately swam after her. The white she-cat shook out her fur, water droplets landing everywhere. Batpaw finally felt his forepaws touch the land under the water, and began to splash his way towards her. To his surprise, the she-cat turned to look at him as he clambered up the bank to her.

"T-thanks!" he gasped, as he staggered up to her. The white she-cat blinked warmly at him.

"Anytime." Was all she said, before blinking at him. "Hold on, you have a little something- OH ancestors, it's a leech!"

"A leech?" he echoed, turning to look at his side, a long slimy thing was hanging off of him, and he became aware of a strange pain in his side.

"Well, you have two options." The white she-cat mewed. "" "One, let it eat your blood until it's full and drops off. Or two, I rip it off."

"A-are leeches bad?" he asked nervously.

"As far as I know, they just suck blood. No infections, nothing." She replied, eyeing it warily. "Actually, they are quite useful for reducing swelling. Anyway, what will it be?"

"… Pull it off?"

"Alright…" she murmured, unsheathing her claws and tugging them under the leech, before pulling it as the leech fell off.

"There, good as new!" she purred, before glancing back in to the forest. "I have to go now; my daughter needs me to find herbs."

"I-Is she sick?" Batpaw asked. The white cat nodded her head.

"She has a cough, and she can barely walk. The Thunderclan cats are getting sick of me in the abandoned Twoleg place."

"It sounds like Greencough." Batpaw mewed quietly. "Get her catnip, and some juniper berries. Catnip will make her very hungry very fast, but that's what juniper is for."

The white cat just looked confused. "Why can't I just give her a mouse?"

"Because even though catnip makes cats hungry, too much solid food makes you sick."

"Ah, well thank you…? Sorry I'm not sure on your name."

"Batpaw."

"Thank you Batpaw, you best get back to Shadowclan now." The white she-cat mewed. Batpaw approached the stream, and leapt over, just barely missing the stream. He waved his tail at her before he started to head into his territory. "My name's Maybelle by the way!" he heard her call, as he shook out his slowly drying fur, and continued back to camp, grabbing some sorrel and dandelion leaves on the way.


End file.
